Here's everything we know about the cast and plot of Ryan Murphy's thrilling new Netflix miniseries, Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story.
Ryan Murphy will be returning to Netflix with Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, a miniseries about one of the most infamous serial killers in American history. Known for producing series like American Horror Story, Scream Queens, and Ratched, Murphy is no stranger to the twisted and grotesque — he's even previously featured Dahmer as a character in two episodes of American Horror Story: Hotel.
Murphy will be creating the series alongside Ian Brennan, a long-time creative partner. The cast of Monster is also familiar to Murphy; as he frequently works with a rotating repertoire of loyal actors, it's no surprise that Murphy is pulling two of his regulars — Evan Peters and Niecy Nash — to fill leading roles in Monster. Janet Mock, who has collaborated with Murphy before on Pose, will be writing and directing several episodes.
Monster is only one of many projects Murphy is currently producing. American Horror Story season 10, titled Double Feature, is currently in the works, as well as American Horror Stories, an anthology spinoff of the hit series. Murphy is also working on a biopic, another miniseries, and seasons of Pose and American Crime Story. With so much in the works, fans of Murphy have a lot to look forward to in the coming years. Here's everything we know about Monster so far.
Deadline first reported on the Netflix limited series, describing the basic premise of Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story and the parties involved in production. So far, some key players in the Monster cast have been announced. Evan Peters, an American Horror Story regular, will be playing the role of the titular Jeffrey Dahmer. Peters has previously starred in eight out of nine seasons of American Horror Story and has been cast for the tenth. He has also starred in Murphy's Pose. Niecy Nash, who has played a role in Murphy's Scream Queens, will be taking the role of Glenda Cleveland, the series' female leading role.
Richard Jenkins (The Shape of Water) will play Dahmer's father, Lionel; Penelope Ann Miller (Carlito's Way) will play the role of Dahmer's mother, Joyce. Shaun J. Brown (The Great Indoors) has been cast to play Tracy Edwards, the last person Dahmer attempted to murder and who led the police to Dahmer's house, which ended in his apprehension. Colin Ford (Daybreak) has been cast as a character named Chazz, though no further information on his character has been released.
Between 1978 and 1991, Jeffrey Dahmer murdered, dismembered — and sometimes cannibalized — 17 men and boys in Ohio and Wisconsin. Referred to as the Milwaukee Cannibal or the Milwaukee Monster, Dahmer was ultimately charged with 16 life sentences in 1992 after Edwards' brave escape led to his arrest. In 1994, Dahmer was killed by a fellow inmate.
According to Deadline, Monster aims to tell the story of Dahmer primarily through the eyes of his victims. Instead of highlighting the gory details of the story (which are usually frequent in Ryan Murphy's movies and shows), the series focuses more on the psychological aspect of Dahmer's story. The miniseries also aims to highlight how Dahmer's murder spree was allowed to continue for over a decade — primarily due to police incompetence and white privilege — as well as the racial dynamics of Dahmer's victims, as many were people of color. Throughout the series, which spans from the '60s into the '90s, Monster will show at least 10 instances where Dahmer was almost apprehended but wasn't.
Currently, Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story has no official release date, but the first episode is projected to release sometime in 2021.
