The limited series Unspeakable: The Murder of JonBenét Ramsey has found a new home with Netflix. Starring Melissa McCarthy (Unfrosted) and Clive Owen (Cleaner), it is based on the killing of six-year-old beauty queen JonBenét Ramsey in 1996.
Now titled The Murder of JonBenét Ramsey, the series is directed by Pippa Bianco, Anne Sewitsky, and Richard LaGravenese. It’s written by LaGravenese, Harrison Query, and Tommy Wallach.
This show was originally supposed to be released on Paramount+. However, late last year, after the merger with Skydance Global, the series was re-reviewed. After that, it was pulled from the release calendar, likely over possible legal issues.
In 2016, CBS aired the docuseries The Case of: JonBenét Ramsey, which framed JonBenét’s brother, Burke Ramsey, as the killer. This, understandably, upset him, and he sued the network, a division of Paramount, for $750 million in defamation. The case was eventually settled, but because of this, Paramount viewed it as a significantly higher financial liability for them.
It was even made clear by her father, John Ramsey, that they would sue again if The Murder of JonBenét Ramsey did the same. Because of this, it is believed that Netflix had a legal review of the show done before agreeing to pick it up. So Paramount bailing doesn’t necessarily mean that Burke or another family member will be framed as JonBenét’s killer again.
This acquisition does add to Netflix’s ever-growing library of true crime content, and with the 30th anniversary approaching, there is some renewed interest in the case.
There is no set release window for The Murder of JonBenét Ramsey just yet. We’ll keep you posted on updates as the project develops.
