Javier Bardem is making his Ryan Murphy debut with the highly-anticipated follow-up to “Dahmer — Monster.” Yet this time, Murphy is bringing another harrowing ’90s true crime story to the screen with the Menendez murders.
Bardem stars alongside longtime Murphy collaborator Chloë Sevigny as José and Mary Louise “Kitty” Menendez, who were both brutally murdered by their sons Lyle (Nicholas Alexander Chavez) and Erik (Cooper Koch). The duo were convicted in 1996. Their case will be the latest installment of the “Monster” anthology series at Netflix with “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story.”
The official synopsis reads: “While the prosecution argued they were seeking to inherit their family fortune, the brothers claimed — and remain adamant to this day, as they serve life sentences without the possibility of parole — that their actions stemmed out of fear from a lifetime of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse at the hands of their parents. ‘Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story’ dives into the historic case that took the world by storm, paved the way for audiences’ modern-day fascination with true crime, and in return asks those audiences: Who are the real monsters?”
Nathan Lane is cast as Dominick Dunne, and Ari Graynor portrays Leslie Abramson.
The supporting ensemble includes Leslie Grossman, Dallas Roberts, Paul Adelstein, Jason Butler Harner, Enrique Murciano, Michael Gladis, Drew Powell, Charlie Hall, Gil Ozeri, Jeff Perry, Tessa Auberjonois, Tanner Stine, Larry Clarke, Marlene Forte, and “Little Fires Everywhere” breakout Jade Pettyjohn.
Murphy and Ian Brennan co-create and executive produce the series along with actor Bardem, Alexis Martin Woodall, Eric Kovtun, Scott Robertson, David McMillan, Louise Shore, and Carl Franklin.
The season is directed by Brennan, Franklin, Max Winkler, Paris Barclay, and Michael Uppendahl. The writers include Murphy, Brennan, David McMillan, Todd Kubrak, and Reilly Smith.
The case of the Menendez family was formerly depicted in 2017 with “The Menendez Murders,” a “Law & Order True Crime” installment from Dick Wolf.
Despite Murphy exiting his Netflix deal in 2023 for a partnership with the Disney Corporation which includes Hulu and 20th Century Fox TV, “Monsters” is still at the streaming platform. Emmy-winning “Dahmer — Monster” was in Netflix’s Top 10 of the most popular English language TV originals, and was renewed for a second season in 2022.
And to keep track of Murphy’s true crime series, “Monsters” is not part of the “American Crime Story” anthology series, which ranged from depicting killers with both the assassination of Gianni Versace and the trial of O.J. Simpson, to Bill Clinton’s impeachment case.
Murphy’s mega-producing empire is also now getting into the realm of sports with “American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez,” starring Josh Rivera as the New England Patriots tight end who was convicted of murder. Patrick Schwarzenegger portrays Tim Tebow, with Tammy Blanchard cast as Terri Hernandez and Lindsay Mendez as Tanya Singleton.
“Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story” premieres September 19 on Netflix. Check out the teaser below.