Writer and producer Ryan Murphy has already been responsible for two hit series on FX: “nip/tuck” and “American Horror Story.” And with “Glee” winding down on Fox, Murphy is now set for his third drama on FX.
FX has announced that Murphy’s “American Crime Story” has been ordered straight-to-series for a ten episode first season. As the name suggests, “American Crime Story” will follow the template laid out by “American Horror Story” and feature a rotating cast of characters in a different story or setting each season. The biggest difference is that “American Crime Story” will draw on actual criminal cases that grabbed the media spotlight. And for the first season, Murphy and company are taking on the infamous O.J. Simpson trial.
“American Crime Story: The People Vs. O.J. Simpson” will be directly based on the book The Run of His Life: The People V. O.J. Simpson by Jeffrey Toobin. The script will be written by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski (The People Vs. Larry Flynt) with Murphy slated to direct the pilot episode. Fellow “American Horror Story” co-creator Brad Falchuk will executive produce “American Crime Story” with Murphy, alongside, Karaszewski,.Alexander, Nina Jacobson, Brad Simpson and Dante Di Loreto.
In the announcement, FX CEO John Landgraf said “Time and time again, Ryan Murphy has transformed the medium of television by redefining genres and formats as he did with Nip/Tuck, Glee and the American Horror Story franchise, and we expect the same of American Crime Story. Scott and Larry have adapted Jeffrey Toobin’s book into a masterful 10-hour piece. I have no doubt that Ryan and his partners Nina Jacobson, Brad Simpson, Brad Falchuk, and Dante Di Loreto are going to make something very memorable here – and that it will be a spectacular first entry in what is destined to become a series of great true crime-based miniseries.”
“American Crime Story” will begin production in 2015. A premiere date on FX has not been announced.
