Jeffrey Epstein story adapted into limited series starring Laura Dern

Laura Dern is set to star in a new limited series about the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, Variety has confirmed. 

The project, being shopped by Sony Pictures Television, is based on the book Perversion of Justice: The Jeffrey Epstein Story by journalist Julie K. Brown. Dern will portray Brown, who exposed Epstein’s crimes and the secret plea deal with federal prosecutors.

The limited series will dramatize Brown’s years-long investigation, which identified 80 victims, persuaded key survivors to speak publicly, and ultimately contributed to the arrests of Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. The show is being adapted for television by Sharon Hoffman, who will serve as executive producer and co-showrunner alongside Eileen Myers. Dern will also executive produce, while Adam McKay and Kevin Messick will executive produce through Hyperobject Industries. Brown herself is attached as an executive producer.

If greenlit, this series will be the first scripted dramatization of the Epstein case, which has previously been covered only in documentaries. The project continues McKay’s focus on topical and socially relevant material, following his work on The Big Short, Don’t Look Up, and shows like Succession.

Dern, a three-time Academy Award nominee and nine-time Emmy nominee, is acclaimed for roles in Big Little Lies, Marriage Story, and Jurassic Park. Production details, including premiere date and network, have not yet been disclosed, though interest is high given the public fascination with the Epstein story.