From horror to crime, Ryan Murphy has more stories to tell. Murphy, whose latest iteration of American Horror Story debuted last night to franchise record-high ratings (6.1 million viewers and a 3.1 demo rating), is breaking ground on an AHS “companion series”–also of the anthological sort–appropriately titled American Crime Story. The new show will tackle notorious crime stories spanning U.S. history, starting with the infamous O.J. Simpson murder trial. According to a press released outed by FX:
American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson is a look at the O.J. Simpson trial told from the perspective of the lawyers that explores the chaotic behind-the-scenes dealings and maneuvering on both sides of the court, and how a combination of prosecution confidence, defense wiliness, and the LAPD’s history with the city’s African-American community gave a jury what it needed: reasonable doubt.
ACS: TPvOJS will air across 10 episodes and will be based on Jeffrey Toobin’s book The Run of His Life: The People V. O.J. Simpson. Production is set to begin early next year. Murphy is producing with Brad Falchuk, Dante Di Loretto, Nina Jacobson, and Brad Simpson. Episodes will be written by Scott Alexander & Larry Karaszewski (The People vs. Larry Flynt) and Murphy has signed on to direct the pilot.
“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,” said FX Networks CEO John Landgraf. “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.”
Added Murphy, “This is an exciting project for me, as I’ve been looking for the right property which could serve as an extension of the American Horror Story brand I love so much. The O.J. case was as tragic as it was fascinating — it seemed like everyone had a stake in the outcome. It was really the beginning of the modern tabloid age.”