Ryan Murphy Netflix Controversy Doesn’t Stop Another Star-Studded Series Getting Started

Even though Ryan Murphy is still fully embroiled in the controversy surrounding Monsters, FX gave him the green light to kick off the new series, which doesn’t have any specific plot details at this time. What we do know is that he’ll reteam with Evan Peters, who he formerly worked with on multiple seasons of American Horror Story as well as the first season of Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, which saw Peters take home a Golden Globe for his portrayal of the titular serial killer. The Beauty will also serve as a reunion between Murphy and Jeremy Pope, as the two previously collaborated on the titles Hollywood and Pose.

If there’s one thing that he’s good at, it’s casting top-tier performers for his projects and nothing will keep Ryan Murphy away from that, even the Monsters controversy. Other names joining the call sheet for The Beauty include Twisters and Transformers: Rise of the Beasts star Anthony Ramos as well as That ‘70s Show and Two and a Half Men regular, Ashton Kutcher. Peters, Ramos, and Pope also executive produce alongside Murphy and Matt Hodgson, who co-wrote the script.

The last month has been a wild one for Ryan Murphy after he and Netflix found themselves at the center of controversy following the release of Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story. The dramatized series follows the titular siblings who are serving life sentences in prison for the murder of their parents. Their case has been incredibly divisive, something that The Beauty’s creator found out after the nine-episode season debuted on the streamer a few weeks ago.

While some folks remain certain that the brothers killed their parents for financial gain, their claims of sexual abuse have gained more belief and sympathy from folks in the decades since their conviction.

Because Ryan Murphy leaned more into the inheritance aspect and depicted both brothers, but especially Lyle as a coked-out spoiled child, controversy has followed The Beauty’s creator. Through his wife’s social media, Erik Menendez released a statement slamming Murphy, as did a group of more than 20 family members who are calling for the pair’s immediate release from prison.

While there might not be an official synopsis for the new FX series, it’s based on Jeremy Haun and Jason A. Hurley’s comic book series of the same name, so we can at least pull some information from there.

From its description, it sounds like the project could see Ryan Murphy get caught up in some more controversy, as the storyline centers around an STD called “the Beauty” which makes its host beautiful. The main two characters in the story are detectives hot on the case of the disease, which appears to be stemming from the government in an effort to do some sort of population control as the Beauty eventually kills those whom it afflicts.

Source: Deadline