Krysten Ritter has found her next TV project. The Jessica Jones actress is headed to HBO Max crime drama Love and Death. Written by David E. Kelley, Love and Death centers on the infamous axe murderer Candy Montgomery, who butchered her friend Betty Gore following an affair with her husband. WandaVision star Elizabeth Olsen is portraying Montgomery with Lily Rabe playing victim Betty Gore. Ritter will be playing Candy’s best friend and confidant, Sherry Cleckler.
Love and Death is inspired by the book Evidence of Love: A True Story of Passion and Death in the Suburbs and a collection of articles from Texas Monthly. The quiet town of Wiley, Texas made the headlines in 1980 when a housewife and mother of two, Betty Gore, was found hacked to death. What followed was a shocking case of a love affair gone wrong. Suspicion soon fell on Candy Montgomery, another housewife and member of the Church who was having an affair with Betty’s husband, Alan Gore. Candy argued that it was Betty who attacked her with an axe after discovering the affair and that she was just defending herself. There were 41 wounds on Betty’s body when she was found.
HBO Max executive Sarah Aubrey announced Elizabeth Olsen’s casting in Love and Death this May saying, “This is a gripping story about the frustrations and desires of two women in a small town that culminates in a terrible act of violence. We are thrilled to be partnering with David, Lesli, Nicole, and Per and incredibly fortunate to have Elizabeth at the center of our story to bring out all the layers of Candy that make this story so unforgettable.”
The team of Big Little Lies and The Undoing is behind Love and Death. Nicole Kidman is producing with David E. Kelley writing the series. Lesli Linka Glatter (Homeland) will direct Love and Death. As for other cast members, Love and Death boast of some big names, especially Jesse Plemons, who will be playing Alan Gore. Jesse Plemons is probably the hottest actor in Hollywood right now and will look to deliver another powerhouse performance. Additionally, Patrick Fugit has been cast as Candy’s husband, Pat Montgomery, with Tom Pelphrey (Ozark), Keir Gilchrist (Atypical), and Elizabeth Marvel (The District) in supporting roles.
Krysten Ritter recently played an enchanting witch in Netflix’s horror fantasy movie, Nightbooks. She will also be directing four episodes of The Girl in the Woods, a supernatural drama for Peacock. Ritter also expressed her desire to bring Jessica Jones into the MCU. As much as fans would like to see that, there are currently no plans for any of Netflix’s Marvel characters showing up in the MCU. However, there have been rumors that Matt Murdock and Jessica Jones may show up in Spider-Man: No Way Home and She-Hulk, respectively. Hopefully, the reports turn out to be more than just rumors. Like Ritter, fans are also dying to see The Defenders show up in the MCU.
Love and Death doesn’t have a release date on HBO Max as of now. But with most of the cast lined up, the shooting will commence shortly. Expect a 2022 release for the true-crime series. This news comes to us from TVLine.