A six-part series about mushroom killer Erin Patterson has been announced.
It will be the first scripted series covering the notorious case, and Yellowjackets star Melanie Lynskey has signed on to portray Patterson.
Patterson is serving life in prison after being found guilty of murdering three people – her in-laws Don and Gail Patterson, and Gail’s sister Heather Wilkinson – with deathcap mushrooms laced into a beef Wellington. She has always maintained her innocence and is currently appealing her sentence.
Ian Wilkinson, 71, was the sole survivor of the lunch at Patterson’s Leongatha home on July 29, 2023.
Rather than following the trial, the series will recapture the 97 days between the now-infamous lunch and Patterson’s subsequent arrest.
As well as starring as Patterson, New Zealand actress Melanie will also serve as an executive producer on the show.
“There have been quite a few [scripts about the mushroom case] floating around, and that’s to be expected,” Tamara Simoneau, Paramount Australia’s vice president of content, told the SMH.
“When something like this happens, a story that the whole country is obsessed with, then the world became obsessed with it, it’s bound to end up in scripts and in writing rooms.
“We’re really thrilled with what’s transpired for us and the casting of Melanie, who we think will be excellent.”
The series is being created by Apple Cider Vinegar‘s Anya Beyersdorf, Daina Reid of The Handmaid’s Tale and Dustfall‘s Deb Balderstone.
“This is an ambitious series that brings a gripping real-life story, that captivated Australia and the world, to the screen with the scale, quality and creative vision audiences expect from Paramount+,” Beverley McGarvey, President of Network 10, said in a statement.
“We are also thrilled to welcome Melanie Lynskey, whose remarkable talent will be integral to the series both on screen and as an Executive Producer.”
Where is Erin Patterson now?
Patterson is incarcerated at the Dame Phyllis Frost Centre, a maximum-security women’s prison in Melbourne, Victoria.
She is serving a life sentence with a 33-year non-parole period after being found guilty in 2025. However, she has appealed the verdict.
On Friday, October 30, at 10am AEDT, Patterson will find out the outcome of her appeal.
Patterson has appealed on the grounds that the jury was potentially contaminated by being unknowingly housed at the same hotel. The appeal also argues that the trial judge made errors, that she was subjected to oppressive five-day cross-examination, and that certain evidence should have been excluded.
If Patterson’s appeal succeeds, the Court of Appeal could order a retrial or acquit her entirely. However, if it is denied, Patterson will be left with few legal options to fight the case.
In an unusual situation, prosecutors have appealed Patterson’s sentence at the same time as the defence.
The Crown has argued that the possibility of parole in 2056 is “manifestly inadequate” given the seriousness of her crimes. The Office of Public Prosecutions is calling for a life sentence with no parole.
