Melanie Lynskey is set to star as Erin Patterson in “Mushroom Murders,” a new limited series greenlit at Paramount+, dramatising one of the most infamous true-crime cases in recent Australian history.
Melanie Lynskey (Credits: Variety)
The six-part series is based on the case of Erin Patterson, the Australian woman convicted on multiple counts of murder and attempted murder after preparing food for guests containing toxic death cap mushrooms. The show will depict the 97 days between the fateful meal and Patterson’s arrest.
What Mushroom Murders Will Cover
In 2023, Patterson served individual beef wellingtons to her estranged in-laws and their relatives at a lunch at her home in Victoria, Australia. Three guests died after eating food that allegedly contained highly toxic death cap mushrooms, in a case that captivated the world and spawned multiple documentaries and dramas.
Announced as part of Paramount ANZ’s 2027 slate at its upfronts event, Mushroom Murders is the third project to focus on the case, following the ABC drama Toxic and the Stan documentary series Revealed: Death Cap Murders.
Who Is Behind Mushroom Murders
The series was created by Anya Beyersdorf, Daina Reid and Deb Balderstone, with Beyersdorf writing alongside Dianne Taylor and Belinda Chayko. Reid will direct all six episodes and executive produce alongside Lynskey, Balderstone, Xavier Marchand and Paramount ANZ’s Sophia Mogford. Production company Soapbox Pictures is behind the series, which is due to shoot in Victoria.
Paramount ANZ’s VP of content Tamara Simoneau said Lynskey — the Yellowjackets star and multi-Emmy nominee — brings a new dimension to the story, noting her track record of playing complex female characters. “This is a story that has captivated the world and it’s something that, in dramatic form, will continue to do so,” she said.
For Lynskey, the role marks another high-profile dramatic turn, following her acclaimed work as Shauna in Yellowjackets and a string of film and television roles spanning Sweet Home Alabama to Don’t Say Good Luck.
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Source: Variety — read the full story there.
