The American Crime Story limited series, across its first two installments, has proven to be a big winner for FX. As the network is gearing up for the premiere of Impeachment: American Crime Story, in September, FX has revealed that the ’70s excess of Studio 54 is in development as the fourth installment of the critically acclaimed limited series.
Studio 54: American Crime Story will tell the story of Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager, two men that turned their Midtown Manhattan disco into an international phenomenon back in 1977. Studio 54 was the mecca of nightlife for the rich and famous as well as locals who were lucky enough to get in. The location was known for its lavish parties, music, sex, and very open drug use. The biggest celebrities of the era attended Studio 54 but like some concepts that experience a meteoric rise, Rubell’s and Schrager’s club suffered an epic fall less than three years after the club opened when the duo was convicted of tax fraud. In December of 1978, Studio 54 was raided after Rubell famously said that only the Mafia made more money than the club brought in. It was so revealed that Rubell and Schrager skimmed nearly $2.5 million in unreported income and by February 1980, the pair was sentenced to 3 1/2 years in prison, and Studio 54 was sold for $4.75 million to Mark Fleischman. Fleischman would reopen the club but he ultimately sold it to new owners in 1984 but it was closed a mere two years later.
Ryan Murphy can be hit or miss as a writer and producer but this sounds right up his alley. I could easily see him making this limited series completely stylish and accurate to the times while also casting some top-notch talent to play key roles. Murphy previously spoke of his interest in Studio 54 for American Crime Story by saying, “When I was a child, in Indiana, getting the Liz Smith column in the Indianapolis Star, reading about it, I’m like, ‘Oh! I wanna go there.’ I love what it’s about. I love that time and place. But I also feel like, it’s a story of excess and a story of two guys who had a dream and took the dream too far and paid for it. I love Ian Schrager’s work, and I think he’s a genius. It’s an interesting story to tell through the prism of American Crime Story.”
The third installment, Impeachment: American Crime Story, is set to premiere on September 7, 2021, and it will cover President Bill Clinton’s affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky and its fallout. The series will focus on the women and tell the story through their eyes with Beanie Feldstein playing Monica Lewinsky, Sarah Paulson playing Linda Tripp, and Annaleigh Ashford playing Paula Jones.
The American Crime Story brand began with The People v. O.J. Simpson in 2016 and was followed by The Assassination of Gianni Versace in 2018. Collectively, the series earned 41 Emmy nominations and won 14, with both winning for Outstanding Limited Series.
Will YOU be watching Studio 54: American Crime Story?