As we head into tonight’s Emmy celebration, Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan’s Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story is up for a handful of awards, including nominations for its leading stars Evan Peters and Niecy Nash-Betts. Meanwhile, Netflix, Murphy, and Brennan are looking to the future as it’s been revealed that Javier Bardem and Chloë Sevigny have been cast to star in the show’s second season, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menéndez Story. Bardem has been tapped to play the role of José Menéndez, the titular brothers’ father, with Sevigny as their mother, Kitty. As was previously announced, Cooper Koch (Swallowed) and Nicholas Alexander Chavez (General Hospital) will appear as the siblings, Erik and Lyle, respectively.
The shocking and twisted tale that was plastered across headlines in 1996 will be the focus of the second season, following the murder of José and Kitty at the hands of their sons. An affluent family living in Beverly Hills, the killings first shook the wealthy closed-off community but would soon become the obsession of the nation. The prosecutors in the case claimed that the brothers committed the murders to get their hands on their father’s cash, but the defense team would raise questions concerning years of mental, physical, and sexual abuse that drove the boys to act in such a heinous manner.
One of the most hotly debated cases in the history of the United States judicial system, the Menéndez brothers were the topic of 2017’s Law & Order True Crime series, which saw Edie Falco (The Sopranos) star as their defense attorney. Since then, there’s been a resurgence of interest in the case. As it’s been almost 30 years since the crime, times have changed and the public’s image of the Menéndez brothers has shifted drastically, with many believing their claims of abuse. Earlier this year, Peacock released a docuseries titled Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed, drawing a parallel between the Menéndez’s claims and the famous Puerto Rican boy band.
Season 2 Will Aim For More Critical Acclaim
Season 1 of Monster saw Peters take on the role of the man known as The Milwaukee Cannibal in a disturbing yet intriguing way that locked audiences in from the very first episode. Peters himself has previously made comments about how dark he had to get to play the character who has become one of the most notorious serial killers in the history of the country – if not the world. Thanks to the creative team as well as Peters and Nash-Betts’s performances, Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story was a massive success for Netflix, nabbing praise at the Golden Globes, Critics’ Choice Television Awards, and more. With Bardem and Sevigny on board with the young up-and-coming stars, it’s clear that Netflix is hoping to make another run at next year’s award circuit.
As of right now, no trailer or specific release date for Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menéndez Story has been announced, but you can stream every episode of the show’s first season on Netflix.
via Collider