Elizabeth Olsen plays real-life ax murderer Candy Montgomery in the first images from the upcoming HBO Max miniseries Love and Death. The show, which is set to premiere in 2022, will tell the story of how schoolteacher Betty Gore was killed by her neighbor Candy on June 13, 1980. Candy had been having an affair with Betty’s husband, Allan, and the married couple’s infant baby remained in her crib for hours as Betty’s body remained undiscovered in another part of the house.
It was announced back in May that HBO Max was moving ahead with a miniseries based on the Candy Montgomery story, drawing from the book Evidence of Love. The project will be written by David E. Kelley, known for his work on Big Little Lies and The Undoing, with Lesli Linka Glatter directing. Nicole Kidman, a frequent collaborator of Kelley’s, serves as executive producer on the miniseries. The cast includes Jesse Plemons as Allan Gore and Lily Rabe as Betty Gore. Patrick Fugit, Keir Gilchrist, Elizabeth Marvel, and Krysten Ritter also star.
With filming currently underway in Kyle, Texas, we now have our first look at Olsen in Love and Death. The photos show the infamous Texan in happier times, presumably before things take a turn for the worst, as she sings in church and enjoys a meal outdoors. Check out the images (via Collider) below.
Olsen began the year in a big way by starring in WandaVision which had the distinction of being the first MCU series to stream on Disney+. In subsequent rankings of MCU shows, although even fans agreed that the Marvel series had issues of pacing and a lack of depth in certain key areas, WandaVision was largely regarded in a positive light. A big part of that came down to Olsen’s portrayal of the title character. Paul Bettany, who headlined the show as Vision, was also a standout. But viewers were struck by how Olsen added to her Marvel hero through a performance that managed to be commanding and extremely vulnerable. For her acting in the series Olsen received an Emmy nomination.
Love and Death gives Olsen another considerable role to tackle, but she’ll have some competition. Hulu has its upcoming own take on Candy Montgomery, with Jessica Biel playing the murderer and Melanie Lynskey as Betty. Still, given the track record of Kelley and Kidman as far as producing memorable crime dramas that get people talking, not to mention the talented on-screen ensemble, HBO Max’s miniseries will be one to look out for when it arrives next year.
Source: Collider