Amazon has officially ordered a series adaptation of Benjamin Stevenson’s bestselling novel Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone, Variety reports.
Penn Badgley will star as the lead character, Ern Cunningham, and will also serve as an executive producer. Oscar nominee David Hemingson (The Holdovers) will adapt the book for the screen, serving as showrunner and executive producer. Fifth Season and Made Up Stories are co-producing. Author Benjamin Stevenson is also attached as an executive producer.
Snowstorms, Murders, and Family Secrets
Set in the dense mountains of Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom, the story follows Ern Cunningham. He’s a mystery-writing expert who reluctantly attends a family reunion to welcome his brother home from prison. By the way, it’s the same brother Ern helped convict.
A severe snowstorm traps the family inside, and a frozen body turns up. The body count begins to rise rapidly. True to the story’s title, every member of Ern’s family has previously killed someone. Whether by accident or intention, he is left to navigate a room full of secret killers to solve the mystery.
Penn Badgley Steps Back into Suspense
The role marks another major suspense project for Penn Badgley. He previously starred as antihero Joe Goldberg across five seasons of the hit series “YOU.” Badgley’s talent for playing intense, darkly humorous characters makes him a natural fit for Ern’s dry wit and analytical mind. Badgley is also set to star opposite Meghann Fahy in the upcoming Amazon MGM Studios romantic comedy You Deserve Each Other.
Building a Bestselling Franchise
Originally published in 2021, the novel launched Stevenson’s popular Ernest Cunningham series, which includes sequels such as Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect and Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret. Although an adaptation was briefly in development at HBO in 2022, Amazon MGM Studios ultimately picked up the project for series production. The show marks the latest literary collaboration between Fifth Season and Made Up Stories, the production powerhouses behind hit book adaptations like Nine Perfect Strangers, Anatomy of a Scandal, and The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart.
Prime Video Shows No Signs of Slowing
Hollywood’s love of adaptations never seems to slow; however, that’s not a bad thing. 2026 and 2027 will see a flood of adaptations brought to life, including multiple Stephen King projects, such as his Lovecraftian series “Crouch End,” which has also found a home on Prime Video. You can find more news and updates about Prime Video under our Streaming TV tab.
