Ryan Murphy considers extending ‘Monsters’ season 2 as Menendez brothers’ case is reviewed
Ryan Murphy has suggested that he might not be finished with Netflix‘s Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story.
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Following the news that a court hearing has been set for Erik and Lyle Menendez, and that new evidence that they were allegedly molested by their father is now being considered, Murphy has expressed an interest in extending the season.
“I think what I would be interested in doing, if Nicholas [Alexander Chavez] and Cooper [Koch] would agree to do it, is maybe one or two episodes that continue the story,” he told Variety.
Chavez and Koch star as Lyle and Erik, respectively, in the show, which charts the brothers’ conviction and sentencing to life in prison for the first-degree murder of their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, in 1989.
Shortly after it was announced that the new evidence was being examined, Murphy’s friend and collaborator Kim Kardashian published an essay calling for the release of the Menendez brothers.
Murphy, who co-created Monsters with Ian Brennan, first showed Kardashian the show about a month before it premiered on Netflix. “She knew a lot about the case, and she grew up with it,” Murphy said. “But she didn’t know about a lot of the sexual abuse and she immediately became very interested in helping them.
“So many people are now interested in the case and it speaks to me about the power of television and what it can do. It can shine a spotlight on something and it can illuminate dark corners.”
In an earlier interview with Variety, Murphy said: “I believe in justice, but I don’t believe in being a part of that machine. That’s not my job. My job as an artist was to tell a perspective in a particular story. I feel I’ve done that, but I wish them well.”
Murphy went on to predict that the brothers could be released from prison by Christmas, suggesting the series had heavily influenced the case. “We gave them their moment in the court of public opinion.
“Basically, we did give them a platform. I think they can be out of prison by Christmas. I really believe that.
The series hasn’t been without its critics, though. Following its release Erik blasted Murphy in a statement, calling the show naive and inaccurate. In response, Murphy said the brothers were “disgusting” and “reprehensible” for “playing the victim card”.
Elsewhere, Murphy recently announced that Monsters season 3 will star Charlie Hunnam as the 1950s serial killer Ed Gein. For season 4, he’s considering more contemporary stories.
Murphy recently announced that “Monsters” Season 3 will star Charlie Hunnam as the 1950s serial killer Ed Gein. He’s considering more contemporary stories for Season 4. “It’s dangerous, yet exhilarating, to tackle things that are current,” he said.
“I was never interested in the Menendez brothers. What I was interested in was the sexual abuse angle. That was always the thing that I was obsessed with. The fact that it’s obviously resonated with people, and people think that those facts should have been admissible in that second trial, is fascinating to me.”
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Chris Edwards
NME