While Kate Winslet is more commonly known and celebrated for her stellar film work — the upcoming theatrical return of James Cameron’s Titanic is but another reminder — but the actress and producer’s occasional jaunts to the small screen tend to bring in awards and other accolades. One doesn’t have to think back very far for her most recent success with HBO’s Mare of Easttown, with its twists and turns garnering Emmy gold for Winslet (and others) in 2021. Now, she’s already lined up her next prestige TV project, and she’s sticking with HBO for it.
Winslet is set to take on a starring role in a limited series adaptation of author Hernan Diaz’s complexly crafted 2022 novel Trust, which was published by Riverhead Books in May. The novel gained buzz prior to its release, and the positive word of mouth only continued after it hit shelves, leading to a competitive situation amongst networks (and presumably streaming services) vying to land the new project, according to Deadline. It ultimately landed at HBO, where Kate Winslet has obviously proven herself worthy of fighting for.
Trust, which will also boast Kate Winslet as a producer behind the scenes, is told through four different voices, with each slotting into a different genre, and is described as a “literary puzzle” that immerses readers in a journey for what truth and facts actually mean, and how personal relationships can often be cloaked in deceptions. Hernan Diaz will also be on board as an executive producer.
As far as actual details go, the story takes place in 1920s New York, and centers in part on Benjamin Rask, a Wall Street financier of the highest order, and wife Helen Rask, whose family is as wealthy as it is eccentric. Their successes and fame, and the costs that were required to attain them, are at the center of a 1937 novel called Bonds, which takes the world by storm, even if the Rasks aren’t so impressed. When Benjamin hires a ghostwriter to pen his story in memoir form, it becomes increasingly obvious that the tycoon has plans to rewrite his own past, as well as that of his wife.
The story is about as juicy and deceit-driven as it gets, and viewers can probably expect a quality of production that would stand alongside Citizen Kane and The Great Gatsby, given the timeframe. While Winslet’s role isn’t specifically stated, one can presume she’ll be portraying Helen Rask, or perhaps she’ll play the ghostwriter tasked with tweaking the Rasks’ life story. She could probably play all the parts and pull it off with aplomb.
While news about a second season of Mare of Easttown has largely dried up by this point, despite the fact that there are ideas for how it could happen, the fact that Kate Winslet is back at HBO likely won’t squash any fans’ hopes that remain for Mare to return after that humdinger of a finale. After all, the premium cable network has brought back shows after years-long hiatuses before, from In Treatment to the upcoming fourth season of True Detective. But for now, let’s just anticipate the wild ride that Trust will no doubt take us on.
Without a current timeline set for when Trust will make its way to HBO and HBO Max subscribers, take comfort in knowing we’ll be able to see Winslet again later this year in James Cameron’s long-awaited sequel Avatar: The Way of Water. In the meantime, check out our 2022 TV premiere schedule to see what’ll be popping up in the coming months.
