Elizabeth Banks To Play Karen Read in New Show About Infamous Murder Trial—but Will Accused Killer’s Real-Life Home Feature After Being Sold?

Actress Elizabeth Banks is set to step into the shoes of cleared murder suspect Karen Read for a new Prime Video series about her infamous trial—just months after the Massachusetts native was declared not guilty of mowing down her police officer boyfriend, John O’Keefe.

As first reported by Deadline, Banks, 51, will not only take center stage in the project, which has not yet been named, she will also serve as an executive producer on the series.

According to the outlet, the series will be based on the hit podcast “Karen,” which documented the ups and downs of both of Read’s trials, the first of which came to an abrupt end in July 2024 after the jury failed to reach a verdict.

Read, 45, was accused of intentionally killing Boston cop O’Keefe outside another police officer’s home in Canton, MA, in January 2022 by running him over while drunk, then leaving him to die on a snowbank.

However, her lawyers claimed that she was innocent—and that she was being framed for murder by her boyfriend’s colleagues.

She maintained her innocence throughout both of her trials, the second of which began in April of this year and ran until June, when Read was cleared on murder charges, with a jury only finding her guilty of driving while intoxicated.

The “Karen” podcast, which was produced by Law & Crime and Wondery, followed all of the twists and turns of each of Read’s trials across two seasons.

“After the first trial ended in a hung jury, the high-stakes case of Karen Read returns to court—and the pressure has never been greater,” the Season 2 description reads. “In ‘Karen: The Retrial,’ we return to the courtroom—where the stakes are higher, the drama is deeper, and the fight for truth is far from over.

“‘Karen: The Retrial’ isn’t just about the verdict—it’s about power, perception, and who gets to write the story.”

Deadline reports that the Banks-led series about the case has been in the works for some time, but began ramping up after Read was declared innocent in June.

What remains unclear, however, is whether the series will be shot on location in Massachusetts—where Read owned a home in the town of Mansfield, before selling the property after revealing she had been left drowning in debt as a result of her legal fees.

The four-bedroom, three-bathroom Colonial home which sits on nearly an acre in Mansfield, about 30 minutes from Boston, was put on the market in July 2024—the same month that Read’s first trial ended—for $849,000. It sold in November of that same year to a married couple for $810,000.

At the time the home was listed, agent Richard Rocci told Boston.com that his client had made the decision to part ways with the property because she was no longer living in Mansfield and therefore did not have a use for the dwelling.

“Ms. Read has not been living in Mansfield since last year and now wishes for another family to enjoy the property she spent many years enhancing,” Rocci said.

The listing for the property on Realtor.com® described it as a “meticulously maintained colonial located on a scenic country road.”

The “turn-key home” featured hardwood floors and a “beautiful sun-drenched kitchen with granite counters, center island, and custom cabinets,” according to the description.

Though Read’s listing agent said that her decision to sell was prompted by her relocation, the home’s appearance on the market came just months before she she admitted to Vanity Fair that she was facing millions of dollars in debt after her first trial.

Property records show that Read took out two $200,000 mortgages on the property in September 2024, according to MassLive. The publication also stated that she had previously taken out a mortgage of $488,000 in 2022.

At the time of the Vanity Fair interview, Read told the publication that she had been staying with friends and family in the local area—although she returned to the Mansfield property to conduct the chat with the reporter, noting at the time that she had to hire an acquaintance to serve as security while she was there.

It is currently unclear whether Read’s former home, or the property where O’Keefe was discovered, will be used in filming for Banks’ new series, or whether alternative façades and sets will take their place.

O’Keefe was not understood to have been living at Read’s home at the time of his death and was instead residing in his own property with his niece and nephew, both of whom spoke to police about the turbulent nature of the couple’s relationship.