Smallville star Michael Rosenbaum’s HBO crime drama, Dorothea, has tapped an Oscar-winning actor to take center stage.

Rosenbaum is best known for playing Lex Luthor in Smallville (2001–2011), one of the most notorious villains in television history. Afterward, he returned to the superhero genre, playing Martinex in James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023). For his next project, Rosenbaum is developing the HBO crime drama, Dorothea.

Now, according to Deadline, the HBO true crime drama has cast Geena Davis in the titular role as Dorothea Puente, the infamous California serial killer widely regarded as one of the state’s most notorious female murderers. Davis will also serve as an executive producer on the series.

Inspired by true events, the series will tell the story of Dorothea Puente, a Sacramento woman who operated a boarding house for struggling residents during the 1980s. While she appeared compassionate and generous, her kind-hearted image concealed a far darker reality.

In actuality, she secretly killed several of her tenants while continuing to collect their Social Security benefits. Her grandmotherly charm helped her avoid suspicion for years before authorities finally arrested her. Following a highly publicized trial, Puente was convicted of three murders and spent the remainder of her life behind bars.

Penned by Joshua Michael Stern (Graves), who also serves as showrunner, the series is based on a story by Rosenbaum and Jane Whitney, drawing inspiration from the true story of Dorothea Puente. Davis, Stern, Rosenbaum, and Jeff Frost also serve as executive producers on the project, while Whitney is attached as a co-executive producer.

The project was spearheaded by Rosenbaum, who conceived the idea and brought it to former Sony Pictures Television Studios President Jeff Frost’s Bristol Circle Entertainment. Rosenbaum and his longtime writing partner, Whitney, developed the series alongside Stern before Davis joined the project. The completed package was then shopped to buyers and ultimately found a home at HBO.

Following her role in Netflix’s supernatural drama The Boroughs, Dorothea marks Davis’ first starring role in a television series since the ABC political drama Commander in Chief (2005–2006). She will also appear in the upcoming films The Wrong Girls and The Kellys.

Geena Davis won an Oscar for Best Actress for Thelma & Louise (1991), and received a previous nomination for Best Supporting Actress for The Accidental Tourist (1988). She has also starred in The Fly (1986), Beetlejuice (1988), and A League of Their Own (1992).

With such a layered and chilling character to sink her teeth into, Dorothea looks like it should be another standout role for Geena Davis.

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  Birthdate

  
  January 21, 1956
  

  Birthplace

  Wareham, Massachusetts, USA

  Height

  6 feet 0 inches

  Notable Projects

  Beetlejuice, The Fly, Stuart Little

  Professions

  Actress, Producer, Writer, Model, Athlete

  Discover the latest news and filmography for Geena Davis, known for Thelma & Louise and A League of Their Own.