Patricia Cornwell talks Scarpetta finally making it to the screen and her surprise cameo: “I was so overwhelmed”

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If I’d realized it would take 37 years – and a lot of dedication from Jamie Lee Curtis – to finally see Kay Scarpetta adapted for the screen, I would have been pretty discouraged. I sold the first Scarpetta novel, Postmortem, while working as a computer analyst at the Virginia Chief Medical Examiner’s Office, and a movie deal was actually made before the book was even published in 1989. Since then, the rights have been bought and sold several times.

You know, Demi Moore was considered for the lead role at one point. I even chatted with Susan Sarandon about it. But the biggest struggle was with Angelina Jolie and the Scarpetta character. She was connected to the project for almost eight years, but it just never came together. The issue was always the script – nobody could quite nail what Scarpetta did as a medical examiner, and it kept falling apart at that stage. It’s frustrating when a good idea can’t get past the writing!

The initial resistance to the series wasn’t just about the plot; it was also due to the fact that Kay Scarpetta was a female lead. Before the books became hugely popular – selling over 120 million copies in 36 languages – many readers struggled with a woman handling such dark and disturbing cases. One bookseller even admitted he couldn’t accept it and tried to rewrite ‘Postmortem,’ changing all the pronouns to make Scarpetta a man, but even that didn’t fix the problem for him.

What sets the Scarpetta series apart is that the main character is a woman, unlike many similar crime dramas. However, if Scarpetta had been a male character – perhaps played by someone like Tom Cruise – she’d likely be incredibly famous by now, and a TV adaptation would have almost certainly been a huge hit.

I’m really excited that Jamie Lee Curtis advocated for the Scarpetta series, and now we have two seasons in the works. She started producing four years ago and discovered the project was available at that time. Because of her influence, she’s been able to bring fantastic actors on board, like Nicole Kidman.

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This project has been in development for a while, but previous attempts didn’t make it past the scriptwriting phase. Now, with the talented Liz Sarnoff as showrunner (known for shows like Deadwood and Barry), it’s finally moving forward. Nicole Kidman will play the lead role of Scarpetta, and Jamie Lee Curtis will play her eccentric sister, Dorothy. Bobby Cannavale, who I’ve always admired, will play Pete Marino, a colleague of Scarpetta’s – and sparks might fly between them! Ariana DeBose is fantastic as Lucy, and the casting of Simon Baker as Benton is exciting.

I told Jamie before we started filming that I was probably going to be a mess – I was just so overwhelmed! I don’t usually watch a lot of crime shows, except for Only Murders in the Building, because I prefer not to think about my work when I’m trying to unwind and relax with TV.

After facing a lot of rejection with my first book, Postmortem – nearly every publisher in New York turned it down before Scribner offered a small advance – I learned not to expect too much. So, seeing Nicole Kidman portray Scarpetta on television feels incredible and makes all the years of waiting worthwhile.

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2026-03-02 20:36