Melanie Lynskey to Topline Paramount+ Limited Series ‘Mushroom Murders’

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Melanie Lysnkey’s next TV series will keep her at Paramount+.

The Yellowjackets star will lead and executive produce a limited series currently titled Mushroom Murders at the streamer. Created by Anya Beyersdorf (Apple Cider Vinegar), Daina Reid (The Handmaid’s Tale) and Deb Balderstone (Dustfall) and produced by Soapbox Pictures, the drama is based on a notorious 2023 homicide case in Australia.

Here’s the description: “In 2023, Erin Patterson (Lynskey) served individual beef wellingtons to her estranged in-laws and their relatives at a lunch in her Victoria home in Australia. Unbeknownst to her guests, Patterson allegedly prepared the food with highly toxic death cap mushrooms, resulting in the deaths of three guests. The limited series depicts the 97 days between the now infamous lunch and Patterson’s subsequent arrest.”

“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+,” said Beverley McGarvey, president of Network 10 and head of streaming for Paramount Australia. “It is a powerful addition to our growing slate of premium storytelling, and we are delighted to partner with such an exceptional creative team to share it with viewers around the world. 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.”

Lynskey will next be seen in the final season of Yellowjackets, which premieres Nov. 20 on Paramount+. Her recent work also includes the Netflix movie Don’t Say Good Luck, a guest role on CBS’ Matlock (opposite her husband, Jason Ritter) and season one of The Last of Us, which involved a different kind of mushroom murder. She is repped by Gersh.

Beyersdorf, Reid (who will direct all six episodes), Balderstone and Lynskey will executive produce the series with Xavier Marchand and Paramount+’s Sophia Mogford. Beyersdorf, Dianne Taylor and Belinda Chayko are writing the series.

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