Two years after the release of Dahmer: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan return to Netflix with their latest harrowing saga. Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story premieres worldwide on Netflix on September 19.
The first teaser of the series focuses on the facts of this horrifying case. It says in bright white: “On August 20, 1989, Lyla and Erik Menendez murdered their parents.” The teaser then shows the two brothers armed with shotguns entering the Beverly Hills mansion of José and Mary Louise “Kitty” Menendez.
Not a word is spoken as the brothers enter the mansion and cock their weapons. The only other sound heard is the frightened gasp of an unknown person. Watch the full teaser below:
Following the success of “The Jeffrey Dahmer Story,” Netflix has expanded Murphy’s “monster” saga into an anthology series – a common practice for the executive producer known for “American Horror Story” and “American Crime Story.” This installment tells the story of the brothers who were convicted of murdering their parents, José and Mary Louise “Kitty” Menendez, in 1996.
That night in 1989, Lyle and Erik shot their father a total of six times and their mother ten times. When police arrived, the brothers claimed the crimes took place while they were watching Tim Burton’s Batman and attending the Taste of LA festival – a story that authorities readily believed. But in the days and weeks that followed, both brothers began spending their inherited fortunes lavishly, setting off several red flags. This led to one of the most talked-about trials of the 1990s.
While the prosecution argued that the brothers killed their parents to inherit their fortune, the brothers claimed they did so out of fear of a lifetime of physical, emotional and sexual abuse from their parents. Both Lyle and Erik maintain this defense to this day as they serve life sentences without the possibility of parole.
“‘Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story’ delves into the historic case that took the world by storm, paved the way for audiences’ modern fascination with true crime and, in turn, makes audiences ask: Who are the real monsters?” says a press release about the series.
Oscar winner Javier Bardem will play José Menendez, while Chloë Sevigny, popular in “American Horror Story” and “FEUD,” will play Mary Louise “Kitty” Menendez. Additionally, Nicholas Alexander Chavez (“General Hospital”) will play Lyle Menendez, Cooper Koch (“Power Book II: Ghost”) will play Erik Menendez, Nathan Lane (“The Producers”) will play Vanity Fair reporter Dominick Dunne, and Ari Graynor (“The Disaster Artist”) will play criminal defense attorney Leslie Abramson.
The series also stars Leslie Grossman as Judalon Smyth, the lover of the brothers’ psychiatrist; Dallas Roberts as Dr. Jerome Oziel, the brothers’ psychiatrist; Paul Adelstein as journalist David Conn; Jason Butler Harner as Det. Les Zoeller; Enrique Murciano as Carlos Baralt, a defense witness; Michael Gladis as journalist Tim Rutten; Drew Powell as Det. Tom Linehan; Charlie Hall as Craig Cignarelli, a friend of the brothers; Gil Ozeri as Dr. William Vicary, a forensic psychiatrist; Jeff Perry as Peter Hoffman, Jose’s former business partner; Tessa Auberjonois as Dr. Laurel Oziel, the wife of Dr. Jerome Oziel; Tanner Stine as Perry Berman, the brothers’ former tennis coach; Larry Clarke Brian Andersen, the brother of Kitty Menendez; Jade Pettyjohn as Jamie Pisarcik, Lyle Menendez’s ex-fiancée; and Marlene Forte as Marta Cano, the brothers’ aunt.
Murphy and Brennan are the series’ creators and executive producers, with additional EPs including Alexis Martin Woodall, Eric Kovtun, Scott Robertson, David McMillan, Louise Shore, Carl Franklin and Javier Bardem. Brennan, Max Winkler, Paris Barclay, Michael Uppendahl and Carl Franklin will direct this season, with Murphy, Brennan, David McMillan, Todd Kubrak and Reilly Smith serving as writers.
More to follow …
