Disney+ is debuting The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox, a dramatized miniseries that promises to go far beyond a mere reenactment of a crime. It’s an emotional, political, and deeply human retelling of a young woman who was wrongfully accused, convicted, and later acquitted—yet continues to have her innocence questioned to this day.

Created by K.J. Steinberg (This Is Us), produced by 20th Television and The Littlefield Company, the eight-episode series arrives with emotional weight and narrative precision—not only because it tells a real story, but because Amanda Knox herself is one of the executive producers. Along with her husband, Chris Robinson, Amanda was deeply involved in the creative process and script development. For the first time, she had full freedom to help shape the way her story would be told to the world.

The innocent the world wanted to hate

The real story behind the series is well-known, yet still widely misunderstood. In 2007, Amanda Knox was 20 years old and studying abroad in Perugia, Italy. Just weeks after her arrival, her roommate, British student Meredith Kercher, was brutally murdered in their shared apartment. It was the kind of tragedy that immediately drew international attention.

Based on what was perceived as “inappropriate” behavior—she was seen laughing, kissing her boyfriend, not crying enough—Amanda quickly became a suspect, then an official defendant, and eventually, along with her then-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito, was convicted. She spent four years in prison and was only definitively acquitted in 2015, when Italy’s Supreme Court declared her innocent, acknowledging that the case was built on “glaring errors and contradictions.” There was, in fact, a confessed murderer—Rudy Guede, who was convicted of the crime and released in 2021—and no physical evidence linking Amanda to the crime scene.

But by then, the damage had been done. The image of the young American “femme fatale,” manipulative and “lacking empathy,” had already been cemented in tabloids around the world. Amanda became the center of a global narrative about crime, sex, and morality—where the legal verdict hardly mattered. And that’s what the series aims to dismantle: not just a wrongful conviction, but the way an entire society, including the media, turned a victim into a villain.

How many times has this story been told?

It’s impossible to list every documentary and TV movie about Amanda Knox. In addition to the relentless news coverage at the time, Netflix released a powerful documentary in 2016 (Amanda Knox, directed by Rod Blackhurst and Brian McGinn), in which Amanda, for the first time with distance and clarity, exposed the behind-the-scenes manipulation and media frenzy that shaped her trial.

Before that, the story had already been adapted in productions like Amanda Knox: Murder on Trial in Italy (2011), starring Hayden Panettiere. But none of these versions featured Amanda’s creative input—something that, this time, changes the tone entirely.

Grace Van Patten as Amanda

In the new miniseries, Amanda is played by Grace Van Patten, known for Tell Me Lies and Nine Perfect Strangers. Grace delivers a sensitive, emotionally raw performance—especially in the interrogation scene, which was one of the most difficult moments to film and to relive for Amanda herself.

Amanda was present during the filming of that scene and, according to recent interviews, was deeply moved while watching Grace reenact the traumatic moment when she was subjected to more than 50 hours of interrogation without a lawyer and with inadequate translation. That was, as she described, the moment when her connection to reality first began to break. Reliving it—even from a distance—was both cathartic and painful.

The power of distortion

The series title is deliberately provocative. It’s not just Amanda’s story—it’s the twisted tale of Amanda Knox—a woman whose public image was hijacked by stereotypes, nationalism, misogyny, and the societal obsession with simplistic heroes and villains.

She was cast as everything people wanted to condemn in a young, free, confident woman. Italian and British tabloids labeled her “Foxy Knoxy,” reducing her personality to her sexuality. Many never read a word about the lack of evidence—or the numerous procedural errors that marked her trial.

Even today, some people still believe she’s guilty. Whether out of ignorance, stubbornness, or an unwillingness to face how easily a life can be destroyed by a flawed justice system amplified by bias. The series doesn’t aim to convince skeptics but rather to restore Amanda’s full humanity and complexity.

The reaction in Perugia and from Meredith’s family

During production, the series faced protests in Perugia, the city where the crime took place. Locals hung signs demanding respect for Meredith Kercher’s memory. Meredith’s family also expressed discomfort over yet another adaptation, fearing that the new narrative might diminish the pain of their loss.

The city’s mayor publicly apologized for allowing the series to be filmed there, saying that by granting permission, they hoped to monitor the project’s tone. These protests are understandable—Meredith Kercher, so often forgotten in the media storm, was a real victim, and she deserves remembrance and respect. According to the show’s creators, the series does not attempt to erase that fact but instead shows how multiple lives were destroyed by a flawed legal process and a sensationalist media circus.

Amanda, even now

Why is Amanda Knox still revisiting this story, nearly two decades later? Because she never had the chance to leave it behind. Even today, despite her acquittal, she’s remembered, judged, and silently condemned. By taking part in this series, she’s reclaiming her story—a courageous act, but also a necessary one for her survival.

The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox is not a crime thriller nor an investigative procedural. It’s an intimate portrait of trauma, distortion, and resilience. A searing indictment of the judgments we make without evidence. And a reminder that behind every headline, there are lives that never truly return to normal.