Acclaimed actor Jason Clarke looked unrecognizable as he transformed into family killer Alex Murdaugh for Hulu’s upcoming mini-series The Murdaugh Murders this week.

Instead of his signature salt-and-pepper coif and sleek exterior, Clarke, 55, waltzed around the show’s Atlanta, Georgia set on Thursday rocking Murdaugh’s bright blonde hair and a noticeably bulkier build.

He also wore the lawyer-turned-convicted felon’s go-to kaki trousers, button-up shirt and tie combo for the day’s shoot outside a Frontera Mexican Kitchen.

In between takes, Clarke — known for his work in Terminator Genisys (2015) —sported sunglasses and slide sandals as the crew worked to set up the next shot.

Clarke’s surprise casting as Murdaugh was announced in December 2024.

It came months after Patricia Arquette has been confirmed to play Murdaugh’s late wife Margaret.

Acclaimed actor Jason Clarke looked unrecognizable as he transformed into family killer Alex Murdaugh for Hulu’s upcoming mini-series The Murdaugh Murders this week

Instead of his signature salt-and-pepper coif and sleek exterior, Clarke, 55, waltzed around the show’s Atlanta, Georgia set on Thursday rocking Murdaugh’s bright blonde hair and a noticeably bulkier build

Hulu’s The Murdaugh Murders was first announced to be development in November 2022. 

The upcoming TV show will be based upon the true events that occurred in 2021, when the now-convicted felon, Alex Murdaugh murdered his wife Margaret and his son Paul by shooting them in the backyard of their South Carolina property.

On July 14, 2022, Alex was indicted for two accounts of murder, and he pleaded not guilty less than a week later.

After a tumultuous trial, Alex received the guilty verdict on March 2, 2023 and the next day, he was sentenced to life in prison. 

Even before the 2021 murders, Murdaugh had a long history of committing crimes such as fraud.

During the same year that he was convicted of killing his wife and son, he was also simultaneously sentenced to be jailed for three decades, for conning his victims out of nine million dollars, after he admitted he was guilty.

Murdaugh sobbed in court as he apologized to the innocent people who were victimized by his financial crimes.

He candidly confessed to using his law firm to steal money from his clients.

The real-life Alex Murdaugh pictured left, Jason Clarke pictured right on Thursday

He also wore the lawyer-turned-convicted felon’s go-to kaki trousers, button-up shirt and tie combo for the day’s shoot outside a Frontera Mexican Kitchen

Clarke wore the lawyer-turned-convicted felon’s go-to kaki trousers, button-up shirt and tie combo for the day’s shoot outside a Frontera Mexican Kitchen

In between takes, Clarke — known for his work in Terminator Genisys (2015) —sported sunglasses and slide sandals as the crew worked to set up the next shot

Clarke’s surprise casting as Murdaugh was announced in December 2024

The streaming series will cover the Murdaugh’s personal family drama and the extensive reporting done by journalist Mandy Matney, who created the Murdaugh Murders Podcast.

Co-creators Michael D. Fuller and Erin Lee Carr, along with executive producer Nick Antosca, are working together to create the drama series.

Arquette was the first actor to be attached to the project as Deadline announced in September 2024 that she’d be starring alongside Clarke as Margaret Murdaugh.

EP Antosca previously worked with Arquette on the mini-series, The Act in 2019, which showcased the true crime story behind DeeDee Blanchard, played by the actress, and Gypsy Rose. 

The TV show depicted the true story behind abusive mother DeeDee, who pretended that Gypsy had leukemia and muscular dystrophy for years, and Gypsy, who convinced her boyfriend to murder her mother.

The powerful acting role lead to Arquette winning both an Emmy and Golden Globe in the category of best supporting actress in a limited series or movie.

The new Hulu series will also be produced by the same companies that created The Act – Eat the Cat and Universal Studio Group’s UCP.

The upcoming TV show will be based upon the true events that occurred in 2021, when the now-convicted felon, Alex Murdaugh murdered his wife Margaret and his son Paul by shooting them in the backyard of their South Carolina property 

On July 14, 2022, Alex was indicted for two accounts of murder, and he pleaded not guilty less than a week later. After a tumultuous trial, Alex received the guilty verdict on March 2, 2023 and the next day, he was sentenced to life in prison

Last year, it was announced that Patricia Arquette (left) would play Murdaugh’s late wife Margaret (right) in the upcoming limited series

Production is expected to run through June 2025 and, according to reports, much of the series is being filmed in and around Assembly Studios in Atlanta.

Casting for The Murdaugh Murders series has mostly been kept under wraps, with only Clarke and Arquette confirmed so far.

Clarke has garnered a reputation for playing villains onscreen over the course of his decades-long acting career. He is experienced in both film and television.

The Australian star famously played Tommy Caffee in the acclaimed FX drama series Brotherhood, which ran for three seasons from 2006 to 2008.

He most recently appeared in HBO series Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty, which followed the ‘professional and personal lives of the 1980s Los Angeles Lakers,’ as per IMDb, and aired in 2022.

As for his film work, Clarke is best known for his work in the adventure thriller Everest (2015), the Emilia Clarke-starring Terminator Genisys (2015) and director Kathryn Bigelow’s Oscar-winning war film Zero Dark Thirty (2012).

He was also amongst the star-studded cast of Christopher Nolan’s multi-Oscar-winning feature Oppenheimer (2023).