Ryan Murphy’s next Netflix series will focus on one of America’s most infamous serial killers.
The streamer has greenlit a limited series called Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story from Murphy and long-time producing partner Ian Brennan. Richard Jenkins has signed on to play Dahmer’s father in the drama, and a casting search is underway for the title role.
Joining Murphy and Brennan on the creative team are director Carl Franklin (Mindhunter, The Leftovers) and writer and director Janet Mock (Pose). Both will serve as executive producers, with Franklin set to direct the first episode and Mock set to write and direct multiple installments. David McMillan will also write and serve as a supervising producer.
Monster will tell Dahmer’s story largely from the point of view of his victims and take a deep dive into the police apathy and incompetence that allowed Dahmer to go undetected for many years before his arrest in 1991. It will chronicle at least 10 times when Dahmer was almost caught but ultimately let go.
Jenkins (The Shape of Water, Six Feet Under) will play Dahmer’s father, a chemist who showed his son how to bleach and preserve animal bones. Casting is also underway for the role of Glenda Cleveland, a neighbor who several times noted Dahmer’s odd behavior to law enforcement.
Ryan Murphy Productions’ Alexis Martin Woodall and Eric Kovtun will exec produce with Murphy, Brennan, Franklin and Mock. Color of Change’s Rashad Robinson will be a supervising producer, and Scott Robertson (Halston) is co-producer.
Deadline first reported the news.
