Boston Strangler Director Matt Ruskin Opens Up About Being Mentored by Ridley Scott

This weekend, 20th Century Studios and Hulu take an in-depth look at the journalists who fought to take down on the most infamous serial killers in American history. Boston Strangler, from writer/director Matt Ruskin, debuts exclusively on Hulu on March 17th, with Keira Knightley and Carrie Coon leading the all-star cast. This journalism thriller is obviously influenced by films like All the President’s Men and Zodiac, but it also takes some cues from iconic director Ridley Scott, who was a mentor to Ruskin.

While speaking to ComicBook.com’s Chris Killian ahead of Boston Strangler‘s premiere, Ruskin opened up about his relationship with Scott and how the filmmaker helped shape his work as a producer on the movie.

“Ridley is a hero of mine, and he and his producing partner at the time, Kevin Walsh, were very much mentors to me throughout this process,” Ruskin said. “So I was able to talk with Ridley about the film, and his producer Kevin Walsh, who produced the film for us, he just has so much experience. It was an incredible opportunity for me to get to learn from both of them.”

Scott obviously brings invaluable experience to any film set, having directed movies like Alien, Blade Runner, Gladiator, The Martian, and so many others. 

Boston Strangler boasts an all-star cast that includes Oscar nominee Keira Knightley (The Imitation Game, Pride & Prejudice), Emmy nominee Carrie Coon (Fargo, The Gilded Age), Alessandro Nivola (Amsterdam), David Dastmalchian (Dune), Morgan Spector (Homeland), Bill Camp (Joker), and Academy Award winner Chris Cooper (Adaptation).

The film follows Loretta McLaughlin (Knightley), a reporter for the Record-American newspaper, as she connects the dots of the infamous Boston Strangler murders. She works alongside close friend and colleague Jean Cole (Coon) to try and bring the killer to justice, but is stymied by the sexism that ran rampant throughout the era.

Ruskin directed Boston Strangler from a script he wrote. Scott and Walsh produced alongside Michael Pruss, Josey McNamara, and Tom Ackerley. Michael Fottrell and Sam Roston served as executive producers.

Boston Strangler arrives on Hulu on March 17th.