Melissa Joan Hart to Play Serial Killer Judy Buenoano in New Lifetime Movie
Melissa Joan Hart will play Judy Buenoano, the serial killer known as "The Black Widow," in a new Lifetime movie. The Hollywood Reporter announced the casting on 27 October 2026. Hart will also executive produce the film, which means she will help oversee its making as well as appear in it.
The working title is Black Widow Killer: The Judy Buenoano Story. It is part of Lifetime's winter "Ripped From the Headlines" slate, a group of movies built on real news stories.
The supporting cast includes Chris Bauer as Detective Chamberlain, Matthew Settle as John Gentry, Buenoano's fiancé, and Cronin Cullen as Detective Steele.
Agam Darshi is directing from a script by Taylor Martin. The film is produced by Hartbreak Films Inc., Tiny Riot and Fox Entertainment Studios. Fox Entertainment Global will handle its distribution outside the United States.
The film is set to premiere on Lifetime on Saturday, 23 January 2027, at 8 p.m. That gives the production a fixed finish line, a little under three months after the casting news. Until then, the film's public story is mostly the names attached to it.
Lifetime's winter schedule is built around these premiere dates. Each movie in the slate needs a finished cut, a marketing push and a slot on the channel's calendar, and this one now has all three in view.
