Amanda Seyfried To Star In ‘Black Window’ Thriller Series Remake From ‘The Dropout’ Creator Liz Merriwether [Exclusive]

Following their critically acclaimed and award-winning drama series, “The Dropout” for Hulu, Oscar-nominated and Emmy winner actress Amanda Seyfried is teaming up again with that series celebrated creator/writer/producer Elizabeth Meriwether (“New Girl, “Bless This Mess”). Their new collaboration is a series remake of the 1987 neo-noir thriller “Black Widow” starring Debra Winger and Theresa Russell and directed by the late Bob Rafelson (“Five Easy Pieces.”).

Described briefly in a New York Times article this week as an “erotic thriller,” Seyfried told The Playlist in an exclusive interview about her new upcoming Peacock series, “Long Bright River,” that that description wasn’t necessarily accurate.

READ MORE: Rebecca Hall To Direct Amanda Seyfried As Lead In A Drama About Feminist Author Erica Jong

“Hmm, I guess some people would say it’s [an erotic thriller],” Seyfried explained, cautioning that the project is just coming together and has not yet been completed. “The whole show hasn’t been written yet, but it’s definitely a different genre [from ‘The Dropout’], and that’s part of the reason that we wanted to do it.”

Perhaps more of a mystery psychological thriller with erotic elements, the original film centers on a Federal Justice Department agent and investigator (Winger) who tracks down a gold-digging woman (Russell) who moves from husband to husband in order to kill them and collect the inheritance. The film also starred Sami Frey, Nicol Williamson and a brief role for Dennis Hopper.

A pilot has been written by Merriwether, though, and the project comes from Emmy Rossum’s Composition 8 production company, Seyfried, Hulu and Searchlight TV.  

“[Liz’s] magic is all over that first script that I read. So we’ll see, everything takes a long time,” Seyfried explained. “I’ve never been this close to a project from the ground level. Everything I’ve done has been like, I was part of [‘Long Bright River’] two months before we started shooting for ‘The Dropout,’ I was part of it four months before we started shooting. So, you know this could take years.”

Support independent movie journalism to keep it alive. Sign up for The Playlist Newsletter. All the content you want and, oh, right, it’s free.

Merriwether’s next TV project is the FX limited series, “Dying For Sex,” starring Michelle Williams. The crime drama “Long Bright River” from writer/creators Liz Moore and Nikki Toscano premieres March 13 on Peacock. More from this interview soon.