Olivia Colman to star in Sky, HBO series 'Landscapers'

Academy Award winner Olivia Colman will topline Sky and HBO's upcoming crime drama series, "Landscapers".

The show will be directed by Alexander Payne, the Oscar-winning director of "The Descendants" and "Downsizing".

Colman's husband, Ed Sinclair will pen the teleplay, Sky said in a statement.

The 45-year-old actor, who most recently featured in the third season of Netflix's "The Crown", will portray Susan Edwards, who along with her husband Christopher, were convicted of killing her parents. The couple had buried their bodies in the back garden of their Mansfield home.

The crime remained undiscovered for over a decade. The series is based on hours of interviews of the couple who have always maintained their innocence.

"I love Ed's scripts, which is just as well as he cooks many of my meals. No, the truth is it's quite rare to be desperate to play a part on the first reading of a script, but that was the case here. The writing is brave, but subtle and tender too - a joy for any actor," Colman, who will also serve as executive producer, said.

The show will be produced by Sister and South of the River Pictures, which Colman and Sinclair recently launched, for HBO and Sky.

The two networks previously partnered with Sister for their multiple Emmy-winning series "Chernobyl".