Ryan Murphy knows a winning formula when he sees it, and the story of the Menendez Brothers’ murder of their parents is right in his wheelhouse for Netflix.
Netflix announced that the second installment of Murphy’s “Monster” series will be “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Mendez Story” in a video this week. The video plays the dramatic 9-1-1 call from the brothers that led to a captivating case with national attention. “From the creators of DAHMER – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story. Coming to Netflix in 2024.”
Unfortunately, audiences are going to have to wait until 2024 for the Menendez Brothers series, according to Netflix.
That follows on the heels of his mega-hit series “DAHMER – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story,” that has already won several awards, and is expected to contend for a number of others.
“To date for DAHMER, Niecy Nash-Betts has won the Critics Choice Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Limited Series, the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Limited Series, and received both SAG and Golden Globe nominations for her performance; Evan Peters took home the Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Limited Series and received a SAG nomination for his portrayal; and Richard Jenkins and the series received Golden Globe nominations,” Netflix said.
After that success Netflix signed Murphy to a two-series deal, which the Menendez story will be the first of those, according to Variety. Variety also said Netflix is working on a documentary series with “exclusive access” with the Menendez brothers.
The Menendez brothers rose to notoriety back in the 1990s, when their parents Jose and Kitty Menendez were murdered. The brothers were convicted of shooting their parents, in a trial that captivated the country on the newly-formed Court TV.
The brothers claimed to have discovered the bodies of their parents in 1989, but Erik’s confession to his therapist ended up setting up a made-for-tv like drama. It took years, but they were convicted after two mistrials, and a whole heap of drama that will make for even more compelling television.
6 Baby Names You Probably Should Avoid
Messiah
In 2013, a child support magistrate in East Tennessee ruled that a 7-month-old boy named Messiah must have his name changed to Martin. “The word ‘Messiah’ is a title, and it’s a title that has only been earned by one person, and that one person is Jesus Christ,” said Magistrate Lu Ann Ballew.
Adolf Hitler
In 2009, New Jersey parents Heath and Deborah Campbell were taken into state custody after authorities got involved in a cake incident. A bakery refused to decorate a cake with the words “Happy Birthday Adolf Hitler.” The Campbell’s gave their three children Nazi-inspired names including Adolf Hitler . Though the state said that their names were not the reason, it’s been reported that the parents didn’t believe them.
Allah
In 2018, Elizabeth Handy and Bilal Walk of Georgia sued their home state after officials refused to let them name their daughter ZalyKha Graceful Lorraina Allah. The issue was Allah, the two-year-old girl’s last name. Georgia law requires that children bear the last name of at least one of their parents. The parents won the case, with the help of lawyers from the ACLU.
1069
In 1976, the North Dakota Supreme Court ruled that short-order cook and high school teacher Michael Herbert Dengler could not change his name to “1069.”
Santa Claus
In December 1999, Robert William Handley of Ohio filed a petition to change his name to Santa Robert Claus. Judge Lawrence Belskis denied his petition saying that “the public has a proprietary interest, a proprietary right in the identity of Santa Claus, both in the name and the persona.”
III
A 1984 ruling from the California Courts of Appeal denied a request from Thomas Boyd Ritchie III to change his name to the Roman numeral “III,” pronounced “Three.” The court said that, “a change to a roman numeral did not constitute a name change within the meaning of the law and that the new ‘name’ used by appellant was inherently confusing.”
