In a new teaser for his forthcoming docuseries Murder at the Cottage, six-time Academy Award nominee Jim Sheridan is hunting for justice for a slain French television producer. Toscan du Plantier, a young Irish woman who was found dead only days before Christmas in 1996, is the subject of a five-part Sky original series. Featuring Sheridan as director and star and Donal MacIntyre as producer, the show premieres in the United States on August 4 with the exclusive release of the first two episodes on Topic, followed by one episode every week after that. At the beginning of this clip, Du Plantier’s brutal murder is laid out, and the series focuses on it.
An unlocked door is a sign of confidence and safety for those living in Schull, West Cork, where the French producer was found dead while vacationing. Due to her husband’s status as a film producer, the case became a high-profile murder investigation very immediately. However, Sheridan also has a profound regard for the victim and those who were devastated by the occurrence that upended their town’s perceptions of what it was like to be a normal person in their community.
All of a sudden, residents of the town were afraid for their lives. There was no way to know if the assailant would strike again if no one had been apprehended. The utter lack of evidence at the crime site that could be attributed to anybody elevated this case to legendary status. Despite the gory nature of the scene, nothing was discovered. The teaser then focuses on journalist Ian Bailey, who was a strong suspect due to his lack of a credible alibi. A French court found Bailey guilty in absentia, despite the fact that the Irish courts were unable to bring charges against him owing to a lack of evidence.
Bailey has escaped punishment due to a legal dispute over his extradition, but Sheridan is determined to portray a complete picture of what transpired that night in order to bring Sophie’s killer to justice. New footage and conversations with persons in West Cork who know about or are connected with the investigation helped Sheridan piece together Murder at the Cottage, including talks with top suspect Bailey. Clearly, Sheridan wants to steer clear of sensationalism in the series, which is why the mystery is secondary to doing right by the victim, as shown in the trailer.
The trailer finishes with a gloomy remark from him. She perished amid the brambles and briars, and now these hills scream out for justice.” In America, In the Name of the Father, and My Left Foot: The Story of Christy Brown all earned Sheridan six Academy Award nominations, while My Left Foot: The Story of Christy Brown won two Oscars for lead Daniel Day-Lewis and supporting actress Brenda Fricker. Day-Lewis starred in In the Name of the Father, which received seven Academy Award nominations of its own and drew a lot of attention from critics. In Absentia, a follow-up to Murder at the Cottage will be written by Sheridan and MacIntyre. On Thursday, August 4, Topic will begin streaming the first two episodes of Murder at the Cottage.