Lifetime greenlights Manson Family flick Manson’s Lost Girls

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Coming hot on the heels of the news of their THE BAD SEED remake, Lifetime has greenlit another horrific property, this time based on the deadly true story of the Manson Family.

Under the working title MANSON'S LOST GIRLS, the film will follow several of the teenage girls who fell under the seductive thrall of Charles Manson, Linda Kasabian in particular. Kasabian will be played by MacKenzie Mauzy (INTO THE WOODS) across from Jeff Ward's (THE MENTALIST) Charles Manson.

[MANSON'S LOST GIRLS] focuses primarily on Kasabian when she first meets “the family” at the Spahn Ranch commune. Manson soon draws her into criminal activities, including late-night break-ins at expensive homes. She leaves the gang only after becoming an accomplice in what Manson calls “Helter Skelter,” a drug-fueled murder spree in August 1969 that included the killing of actress Sharon Tate and her unborn child. Kasabian eventually turns herself in as a witness for the prosecution, leading to Manson’s conviction.

The film, directed by Leslie Libman (NCIS) with a script by Matthew Tabak (666 Park Avenue) and Stephen Kronish (24), will also star Eden Brolin (I DREAM TOO MUCH) as Susan Atkins, Greer Grammer (Awkward.) as Leslie Van Houten, and Christian Madsen (DIVERGENT) as Tex Watson.

The alarmingly true story of the Manson Family has long captivated filmmakers and documentarians (as recently as this year's David Duchovny drama Aquarius on NBC), but shifting focus away from Manson himself will hopefully allow this film to explore something unique and interesting about the oft-retold tale.