While 2020 has been a challenging year for so many of us, Ryan Murphy has professionally managed to thrive in during this year. From the divine dreamscape he created in Hollywood, to the visually engrossing and fantastic storytelling of Ratched the the much needed reimagining of The Boys In The Band (all streaming on Netflix), Murphy is now diving into one of the darkest stories in the history of American crime stories. Deadline reports that Netflix has given the go-ahead for Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, a limited series that is being co-created by Murphy and collaborator Ian Brennan. Oscar nominee Richard Jenkins) will be starring as Dahmer’s father, Lionel. A casting search is currently underway for an actor that is going to portray the now-legendary serial killer, who killed and dismembered seventeen men and boys from 1978 to 1991.
Photo Courtesy-Martin Schoeller
Monster is going to be mainly told from the point of view of Dahmer’s victims. The series will touch on several aspects that allowed Dahmer’s killing spree to go undetected for as long as it did. The series will touch on at least ten different instances that where Dahmer was almost captured, but ultimately ended up being let go. Dahmer’s arrest showed a clean cut and attractive white man being apprehended for some of the most reprehensible crimes in American history, so the more current topic of white privilege will most likely be touched upon also, and how that impacted Dahmer’s case (judges are on record being very lenient with Dahmer, who was then allowed to continue his crimes undetected).
The role of Glenda Cleveland, a neighbor of Dahmer’s who repeatedly tried to warn law enforcement of his erratic behavior, to no avail is also a role that producers are meeting with actresses for, indicating that it is going to be a featured role in the series (Cleveland is on record stating that she believed that her being black possibly played a role in law enforcement not taking her pleas seriously.)
Director Carl Franklin (Mindhunter) is on board for the series’ first episode, and Janet Mock (who also works with Murphy on Pose) will write and direct multiple episodes, with both also executive producing.