Ryan Murphy is expanding his American Crime Story universe with a pair of spinoff anthology series. FX announced today that American Sports Story and American Love Story are in development with the first installments focusing on Aaron Hernandez and John F. Kennedy Jr., respectively.
American Sports Story will focus on a prominent event involving a sports figure and will tell the story from multiple perspectives. Kicking off American Sports Story will be the rise and fall of football star turned alleged murderer, Aaron Hernandez. The first season will be based on the “Boston Globe” and Wondery podcast Gladiator: Aaron Hernandez and Football Inc. The season will chart the rise and fall of the former New England Patriots tight end who was convicted for murder and ultimately took his own life. The season will explore all facets of his life and personality, including his identity, his family, his career, and his suicide. Stu Zicherman is in charge of script duties and he will executive produce the series alongside Murphy, Brad Falchuk, Nina Jacobson, Brad Simpson, Alexis Martin Woodall, and Wondery’s Hernan Lopez and Marshall Lewy, and “The Boston Globe’s” Linda Pizutti Henry and Ira Napoliello.
The second spinoff, American Love Story, will see its first season focusing on the whirlwind courtship and marriage of John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette. The union began quite beautiful for the young couple, who were once widely considered American royalty. Over time, the relationship began to suffer under the stress of the relentless tabloid media and this led to pressures in their careers and rumored family discord. Tragically, the pair died when JFK Jr.’s private plane crashed into the ocean on a foggy summer night off the coast of Massachusetts. A writer has yet to be announced for the project but Murphy, Falchuk, Jacobson, Simpson, and Woodall will executive produce the series. FX chairman John Landgraf had this to say about the two new spinoff series:
“When Ryan Murphy came to us with these two spinoffs and the stories for American Sports Story and American Love Story, we immediately jumped at the opportunity. What began with American Horror Story has spawned some of the best and most indelible programs of our generation, most notably American Crime Story which created a beautiful partnership between Ryan, Brad, Nina, and Brad. Their alchemy and the way in which they construct these stories is done with such care, such clarity, and such dimensionality that creates the magnificence that is The People v. O.J. Simpson, The Assassination of Gianni Versace and Impeachment. We can’t wait to see what comes next.”
Murphy continues to work with Disney/Fox/FX despite a $300 million overall deal that he has with Netflix. Under the deal, Murphy has delivered projects such as The Politician, The Prom, Pray Away, The Boys in the Band, Ratched, Hollywood, Halston, and the upcoming Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story. Under the Disney and Fox umbrella, Murphy has 9-1-1, 9-1-1-: Lone Star, American Horror Story, American Horror Stories, and American Crime Story. Another Murphy FX series, Pose, just. wrapped up its run on the network. Adding these spinoffs to the mix, Murphy has made himself a very busy and rich man.
Will YOU be watching the American Crime Story spinoffs?