Former Doctor Who Matt Smith might play Charles Manson in The Family

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

The AMERICAN PSYCHO creative team of director Mary Harron and screenwriter Guinevere Turner are re-teaming for a new project called THE FAMILY, and the family in question is the Manson family.

Based on the books The Family by Ed Sanders and The Long Prison Journey or Leslie van Houten: Life Beyond the Cult by Karlene Faith, THE FAMILY centers on 

grad student Faith as she works with three brainwashed young women who were part of the Manson family — Leslie Van Houten, Patricia Krenwinkel and Susan Atkins. The story will be told via a series of flashbacks after the three women are incarcerated in a special security unit at the California Institute for Women.

Hannah Murray is in talks to play Van Houten, while Marianne Rendón is up for the role of Atkins. Harron and Turner may have found their Charles Manson as well: Tracking-Board reports that former Doctor Who star Matt Smith is in negotiations to become the latest screen version of the cult leader.

THE FAMILY is being produced by Jeremy M. Rosen and Kevin Shulman through their company Roxwell Films. David Hillary, Dana Guerin, and Michael Guerin are on board to executive produce. The film is scheduled to start filming in Los Angeles in March.

I'm not sure how many more Manson movies the world really needs, but maybe this one's approach of showing Van Houten, Krenwinkel, and Atkins during their time in prison will make it stand out from the pack.