Keira Knightley hunts an infamous serial killer in the trailer for new thriller The Boston Strangler

The first trailer for new Hulu film The Boston Strangler has been released this week.

And in the thriller, which is based on a true story, Kiera Knightley is seen taking on the role of journalist Loretta Mclaughlin as she investigates a series of murders.

The two-time Oscar nominated actress stars alongside Carrie Coon, portraying reporters who begin to dig deeper into the infamous criminal to uncover his identity.

During the trailer, which hit YouTube and social media on Tuesday, Kiera’s character asks: ‘How many women have to die before it’s considered a story?’ 

It is based on the 13 women who were murdered in the Boston area in the early 1960s – to which Albert DeSalvo later confessed to being the Boston Strangler serial killer after being charged in rape cases.

Uncovering the truth: Keira Knightley hunts down an infamous serial killer as she transforms into a ’60s reporter in the trailer for brand new thriller Boston Strangler

Coming soon: The trailer was released on Tuesday, with the Hulu movie set to hit the streaming service on March 17

True story: It is based on the 13 women who were murdered in the Boston area in the early 1960s

With the new release set to hit streaming service on March 17 2023, the trailer takes viewers back in time to the 1960s set.

Beginning in the newsroom of the Boston American Record newspaper, Keira’s character can be seen looking through news clippings and making a connection between recent crimes.

Tarred with the sexism of the time, Loretta (Keira) struggles to get the backing to investigate the crimes, and ends up going off on her own tangent.

‘I think I’ve found something, three women were strangled over the last two weeks,’ says Loretta to her editor in the trailer’s first moments.

Despite working on the publication’s Lifestyle desk, the character is keen to investigate the project herself as she makes the first connection between the recent murders.

Claiming to tell the ‘untold true story’ during the film, the trailer continues as more murders take place and the police investigation amps up a notch.

Loretta goes on to delve deeper into the case as they appear to have a suspect, as her colleage Jean Cole (Carrie Coon) helps to uncover the truth.

Putting her jobs and life at risk, Keira’s character takes matters into her own hands by entering the address of the suspected killer with a baseball bat – as the trailer dramatically depicts her journey to learning the real story.

Setting the scene: Beginning in the newsroom of the Boston American Record newspaper, Keira’s character can be seen looking through news clippings and making a connection between recent crimes

Delving deeper: Claiming to tell the ‘untold true story’ during the film, the trailer continues as more murders take place and the police investigation amps up a notch

Odds against: Tarred with the sexism of the time, Loretta (Keira) struggles to get the backing to investigate the crimes, and ends up going off on her own tangent

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Discovery: ‘I think I’ve found something, three women were strangled over the last two weeks,’ says Loretta to her editor in the trailer’s first moments

The true story took place between 1962 to 1964, when single women across Massachusetts were the target of a serial killer and rapist – with at least 11, a thought 13, losing their lives.

As the case was investigated by Boston authorities, the far locations of each woman left them at a loss of who could be the culprit.

Eventually, convicted rapist Albert DeSalvo made a jailhouse confession claiming that he was the Boston Strangler and provided details on the 11 murdered women. 

But he was later found dead in his jail cell, before the case had been fully solved. It was eventually closed in 2013, when recent advances in forensic science confirmed that it was DeSalvo with DNA proof.

Before it was completely closed, the story inspired the 1968 biographical film of the same name, which starred Tony Curtis as the infamous criminal.

The new release is written and directed by Matt Ruskin, while it also stars David Dastmalchian (The Suicide Squad, Dune), Chris Cooper, and Alessandro Nivola.

In real life, reporter Loretta passed away in 2018 at age 90. After uncovering the scandal, she went on to be an award-winning medical reporter and the second woman to serve as editor of the editorial pages at the Globe.

In real life: She portrays real-life reporter Loretta (pictured left) who went on to become editor of the editorial pages at the Boston Globe

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Remake: The story inspired the 1968 film of the same name, which starred Tony Curtis as the infamous criminal (Tony Curtis and Carolyn Conwel in The Boston Strangler, 1968)