The trailer for Hulu‘s dramatic new series The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox kicks off with Amanda Knox herself asking the question at the top of everyone’s mind: “Why would I return to a country where I was convicted of murder?”
The new series, which premieres on Hulu Aug. 20, explores the vicious investigation and media storm that followed Knox after she was wrongfully convicted for the 2007 murder of her roommate, Meredith Kercher, while studying abroad in Italy. The show “traces Amanda’s relentless fight to prove her innocence and reclaim her freedom, and examines why authorities and the world stood so firmly in judgment,” per Hulu.
“In order to move forward, I need to go back,” Knox says in the trailer.
Tell Me Lies actress Grace Van Patten stars as Knox. Van Patten took over the role after Margaret Qualley was originally set to star and executive produce the project.
The series will explore how her life was dramatically upended with this investigation. After her roommate’s body is found, Knox is surveilled, swarmed by the press and relentlessly interrogated by the Italian police as the country – and the world – turned its back on her.
“For 15 years, I’ve been defined by something I didn’t do,” she says. “Many people think they know my story but now finally it’s my turn to tell it.”
Knox and her former boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito were convicted of sexual assault and murder after Kercher’s death. She carried out four years of her 26-year sentence in an Italian prison before her conviction was overturned in 2015. The country of Italy was later ordered to pay her $21,000 in damages in 2019.
The limited series will reportedly have eight one-hour-long episodes. It remains unclear if the episodes will release weekly.
Sharon Horgan, John Hoogenakker, Francesco Acquaroli, Giuseppe De Domenico and Roberta Mattei will also star.
Knox serves as a co-executive producer on the series along with her spouse Chris Robinson through their company Knox Robinson Productions.
Monica Lewinsky will also executive produce, marking the third production credit of her career after American Crime Story and 15 Minutes of Shame.