Charlie Hunnam Karwai Tang/WireImage
Charlie Hunnam is joining the Ryan Murphy universe.
Murphy, 58, announced that the third installment in his Monsters franchise is in the works — with Hunnam, 44, leading the charge as notorious real-life serial killer Ed Gein.
The showrunner shared the news during his Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story premiere in Los Angeles on Monday, September 16. Following the premiere, Netflix announced the news via X, sharing a photo of the Sons of Anarchy alum.
Netflix shared on Tuesday, September 17, that production on season 3 is set to start next month.
Television pioneer Ryan Murphy has been creating, writing, directing and producing Emmy-winning series for over two decades — and now has so many shows on the air that it feels like he’s everywhere. After cocreating the cult teen dramedy Popular in 1999, Murphy made his debut as a solo creator with the FX drama Nip/Tuck, […]
Aside from Hunnam’s casting news as Gein, not much information about the third season has been released just yet. Gein, nicknamed the “Butcher of Plainfield,” was convicted of one count of first-degree murder and admitted to a second killing in the 1950s. However, it’s suspected that he was involved in multiple other crimes around his Plainfield, Wisconsin. Gein also admitted to exhuming multiple graves and fashioned grotesque keepsakes out of the bodies. He is said to be one of the inspirations behind The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and many other horror films.
Ed Gein Bettmann Collection/Getty Images
Murphy’s Monster franchise premiered via the streamer in September 2022 with The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, starring Evan Peters as the titular character. The second season set to premiere on Thursday, September 19, is titled The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story and will follow the story of brothers Lyle Menéndez (Nicholas Chavez) and Erik Menéndez (Cooper Koch).
“One of the things that you and I didn’t know, but soon found out, is that there are literally thousands and thousands and thousands of TikToks from young people, specifically young women, talking about the Lyle and Erik Menendez case,” Murphy told collaborator Ian Brennan at a New York City screening for the show earlier this month.
The show follows the true story of the Menéndez Brothers who were convicted of the 1989 murder of their parents, José and Kitty, which they claimed was in self-defense after years of alleged physical, emotional and sexual abuse.
Brad Culver as Gerald Chaleff, Nicholas Chavez as Lyle Menendez, and Cooper Koch as Erik Menendez in ‘Monsters: The Lyle And Erik Menendez Story.’ Miles Crist/Netflix
Brennan, 46, added that he was “blown away” by the social media response.
“It seemed so current to them,” he continued of fans. “I think one of the one of the things is we finally have a vernacular to think about and discuss sex abuse and mental health that did not exist at the time.”
Murphy went on to compare this upcoming season to Dahmer.
“This season was about abuse. Who is believed, who’s not believed,” he said. “All the stuff in here, by the way, is true. We spent many, many, many years researching this. Things you really can’t make up, but the thing that I was struck by when Ian and I were working on it was … [the show is] really more interested in talking about how monsters are made, as opposed to born.”
