'The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox': What to know about Disney adaptation of real-life horror story

An eight-part TV dramatisation looks back on when American college student Amanda Knox was wrongfully convicted of murdering her British roommate, Meredith Kercher, while studying abroad in 2007.

The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox revisits the events that took place, which led to Knox and her then boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, serving about four years in prison before they were acquitted of Kercher's murder in 2011.

Meanwhile, Rudy Guede, who was also convicted of Kercher's murder, completed his 16-year prison sentence; he served 13 years and was released early in 2021.

This case captured global attention at the time, with Knox being infamously dubbed "Foxy Knoxy" by the tabloids.

Here is everything you need to know about the new TV series:

Who is in the cast?

The show stars Grace Van Patten as Amanda Knox, Sharon Horgan as her mother Edda Mellas, and Giuseppe De Domenico as Knox’s former boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito.

A limited series inspired by the story of how Amanda Knox was wrongfully convicted for the tragic murder of her roommate Meredith Kercher and her sixteen-year odyssey to set herself freeDisney/Andrea Miconi) GRACE VAN PATTEN

Knox herself is an executive producer on the series, as well as her husband Chris Robinson, and Monica Lewinsky, who has also previously found herself at the centre of a public scandal.

What has Meredith Kercher's family said about the series?

“Our family has been through so much, and it is difficult to understand how this serves any purpose," Meredith's sister Stephanie told the Guardian last year when news of the TV series was announced.

The family of Meredith Kercher have no involvement in the series.

What the critics say

All in all, the show has received mixed to favourable reviews so far, and has a critics' score of 74 per cent (54 per cent for top critics) on TV and film review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes, and an IMDb score of 5.7/10.

"Eight-part series about one of the 21st century’s most overtold stories serves only to deepen the voyeuristic mythology around its subject," The Independent's Nick Hilton said, giving the show two stars.

The Guardian's Lucy Mangan gave the series four stars and wrote, "The script is often dodgy, and there is no involvement from the family of murdered student Meredith Kercher, but this show that’s executive-produced by Knox and Lewinsky is an astonishing tale of justice’s flaws."

"Yes, Amanda Knox was maligned and mistreated – but you still won’t like her," the headline for The Telegraph's Chris Bennion two-star review read.

TIME's Judy Berman said, "For all its fidelity to the complicated facts of one of this century’s most infamous murder cases, Twisted fails to deliver the one element of Knox’s story that might be best expressed through scripted drama: insight into who its viciously caricatured, widely misunderstood subject really is."

Social media reaction

Since the first episodes dropped on Disney+ and Hulu, there has been a lot of reaction on social media where people are divided on both the show and Knox herself.

"I've spent the last 25 years trying to educate people on the reality of false confessions & the interrogation tactics that produce them. Shows like Making a Murder, When They See Us, the Yogurt Shop Murders & the Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox, educate millions. Keep them coming," one person said.

A second person wrote, "This new #AmandaKnox series on Hulu has me so irritated. Was she really this naive? Talking to detectives with a language barrier and no lawyer present. Acting all ditzy. Giving statements in Italian. Like girl! That yt privilege had her too damn trusting in a foreign country."

"Watching Amanda Knox and that scene of them gaslighting her and yelling at her to force a confession. My inner lawyer is like," a third person posted.

A fourth person commented, "Maybe this is UNWOKE of me but I’m tired of hearing about Amanda Knox."

Someone else added, "The Amanda Knox TV show on Hulu is too aggravating to watch and will harm American-Italian relations."

"Just watched the first episode! It was so good! Loved the clever quick cut first person camera shots that introduced us to you and to your roommates. It captured well the lighthearted, naïve optimism that you exude. (in certain shots she looks so much like you) Watch #2 tonight!," another person shared.

One user replied, "Started it yesterday, and can’t wait for the next episode! I still can’t believe what they put you through!"

When will the show be released?

"The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox," will premiere on Wednesday, August 20th on Disney+ in the UK & Ireland, on Hulu in the U.S., and Disney+ internationally, with two episodes at launch, then one new episode weekly, with the finale episode dropping on October 1.

Elsewhere, Baby Reindeer creator is 'unrecognisable' in new show, and Why is everyone so outraged at Netflix's 'Biggest Loser' documentary?

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