The murder of American child beauty queen JonBenét Ramsey is set to be turned into a limited series, TheWrap has learned. “A Family Affair” director Richard LaGravenese has signed on as showrunner and executive producer.
MTV Entertainment Studios and 101 Studios, which produce the hit “Yellowstone” franchise, bought the untitled project from writers Harrison Query and Tommy Wallach, who will stay on as EPs.
The drama will follow “the mysterious death and the surrounding media frenzy in the murder of JonBenét Ramsey, a case that captivated an entire nation and left us with more questions than answers,” per an official logline.
No distributor for the project has been named.
On Dec. 26, 1996, JonBenét’s father found the body of his 6-year-old daughter in the basement of their family home in Boulder, Colorado, seven hours after she was reported missing. Her official cause of death was “asphyxia by strangulation associated with craniocerebral trauma.” Her death was ruled a homicide and is still labeled as a cold case and open investigation with the Boulder Police Department.
In August 2006, authorities in Thailand arrested Alexis Val Reich — formerly known as John Mark Karr — and extradited him to the United States after he falsely confessed to murdering JonBenét. Reich, a school teacher, claimed he drugged, sexually assaulted and accidentally killed the child. However, there was no evidence that linked Reich to the murder. Another suspect, Gary Olivia, who has not been charged in the incident has also confessed to accidentally killing JonBenét.
LaGravenese just wrapped up his comedic romance film “A Family Affair,” starring Zac Efron, Joey King, Sherry Cola and Nicole Kidman. The director and screenwriter’s previous works include “Freedom Writers,” “P.S. I Love You” and “Beautiful Creatures.”
The Hollywood Reporter was first to report the news.
Lucas Manfredi contributed to this report.