The Case Against Adnan Syed Will Serve As a New Trial for Many Reasons

Adnan Syed is back in the spotlight. The subject of Serial is now the focal point of The Case Against Adnan Syed, a four-part HBO series directed by Amy Berg.

Syed, who is currently in prison charged with the murder of Hae Min Lee, became a national figure when Serial debuted in 2014. Now, Berg is attempting to get even deeper into the story of what happened to both Syed and Lee. E! News spoke with the director and Rabia Chaudry, a family friend and advocate.

“The film really does pick up where Serial left off. There have been a lot of developments, in his case especially, but we investigate this whole story thoroughly. We go down a lot of interesting paths that I think you’d need the visual medium to explore,” Berg said.

“We talked to a lot of people that weren’t around during the podcast. I think we go much deeper now because time has helped us and Serial has helped to unearth a lot of new information, so hopefully we’re much closer to the truth now,” Berg said.

Both Berg and Chaudry said they were surprised by how detectives originally approached the case and seemed to have a narrow focus on Syed. Through their investigations, Chaudry said she has at least three other suspects in mind—but won’t name them. And while the highest court in Maryland determined Syed is not deserve of a new trial, reversing a lower appellate court’s decision, Berg said she hopes people can learn about the justice system through this series, as well is get the info regarding Syed’s case out there.

“I would hope that Adnan would get a new trial, because I know that’s what he wants the most is to put everything on the record,” Berg said. “But I don’t think he’ll ever get a new trial, so I think that this film will serve as his trial for many reasons.”

Syed’s attorney Justin Brown vowed not to give up on the case. “We are devastated by the Court of Appeals’ decision but we will not give up on Adnan Syed…There was a credible alibi witness who was with Adnan at the precise time of the murder and now the Court of Appeals has said that witness would not have affected the outcome of the proceeding. We think just the opposite is true. From the perspective of the defendant, there is no stronger evidence than an alibi witness,” Brown said.

Click play on the video above to hear more about the series. The Case Against Adnan Syed premieres Sunday, March 10 at 10 p.m. on HBO.