Prime Video is diving into one of the most polarizing true-crime sagas of recent memory, and it has found its star. Elizabeth Banks has been cast as Karen Read in the upcoming limited series, a role insiders are already calling pitch-perfect.
Known for seamlessly balancing dramatic weight with razor-sharp wit (Mrs. America, The Better Sister, Cocaine Bear), Banks brings the exact mix of gravitas and complexity needed to portray Read, the Boston woman accused of murdering her boyfriend, a police officer, in a case that split the country.
The series comes from powerhouse showrunner Justin Noble (The Sex Lives of College Girls, Never Have I Ever) and legendary producer David E. Kelley, whose name is synonymous with some of the most iconic courtroom dramas of the last 30 years (The Practice, Big Little Lies, Presumed Innocent). Produced in partnership with Banks’ Brownstone banner, Wondery, and Law & Crime, the limited series adapts the hit Karen podcast, examining not just the trial but also the obsession and conspiracy theories it sparked in the media and public imagination.
“This is inspired casting,” one insider told Deadline. And for Prime Video, it also marks a reunion with Banks, whose performance in The Better Sister, released earlier this year, was hailed as one of the best of her career. With Kelley’s proven touch in legal thrillers and Banks’ star power, the Karen Read story is set to be one of the most talked-about true-crime dramas of 2025.
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