Karen Read Trial Gets Limited Series Adaptation On Prime Video, Starring Elizabeth Banks

Karen Read‘s controversial trial that divided the nation will be adapted into a limited series for Prime Video.

Deadline reports Elizabeth Banks will be leading Prime Video’s upcoming adaptation about Read’s trial, based on the podcast Karen. Justin Noble, co-creator of The Sex Lives of College Girls will serve as writer, showrunner and executive producer alongside Presumed Innocent creator David E. Kelley. Banks will also executive produce the series.

The new series will explore “society’s obsession with true crime, the allure of conspiracy, and the deepening crisis of trust in our institutions,” per the logline.

The Karen podcast dives into how the trial swept the nation, highlighting a growing obsession with true crime and the deepening distrust of local law enforcement.

Read made headlines after her police officer boyfriend, John O’Keefe, was found unresponsive outside of the home of Sgt. Brian Albert, a friend and colleague, on Jan. 29, 2022, after a night of drinking. She became a prime suspect in the case and was accused of fatally striking him with her car the evening before driving off, leading her to be charged with second-degree murder, vehicular manslaughter and leaving the scene of a collision resulting in death.

But Read’s defense team claimed she was framed by the Boston police department, arguing that O’Keefe was beaten up inside of Sgt. Albert’s home, attacked by his dog, and left outside.

Read was first tried in 2024 but the case ended in a hung jury and mistrial. She was recently found not guilty of murder, but was convicted of drunk driving, receiving one year of probation.

This marks Banks’ return to Prime Video after recently starring in the thriller The Better Sister with Jessica Biel.

Read and her legal defense attorney Alan Jackson have also signed a deal for a separate scripted adaptation based on the case that will share details “not yet disclosed to the public,” according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Prime Video’s adaptation is still in development, which no set release date just yet.