“American Crime Story’s” Versace installment pushed up to season 2

PanARMENIAN.Net - FX is shuffling around the seasons of “American Crime Story”, moving the Versace-themed installment to Season 2, rather than Season 3, which was the original plan, Variety has learned.

The Hurricane Katrina-themed installment, “Katrina: American Crime Story,” was originally scheduled as the second season, but is now third in line in Ryan Murphy’s “American Crime Story” franchise.

Production on “Katrina” is scheduled to begin in early 2018. Production on “Versace” began this past April and is slated to debut in early 2018.

Titled “The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story,” the installment will explore the murder of fashion designer Gianni Versace, who was killed on the steps of his home in Miami Beach by serial murderer Andrew Cunanan, who killed five other people that year. He committed suicide on a house boat eight days after killing Versace.

Edgar Ramirez will play Gianni Versace, “Glee” alum Darren Criss will portray Cunanan, Penelope Cruz is Donatella Versace, and Ricky Martin will play Gianni’s partner, Antonio D’Amico. Murphy serves as executive producer with Nina Jacobson, Brad Simpson, Brad Falchuk, and Tom Rob Smith, who is writing. Murphy also directed the premiere episode of the series. Fox 21 Television Studios and FX Productions are producing.

As for “Katrina,” Dennis Quaid has been cast as George W. Bush and Annette Bening as Kathleen Blanco, the governor of Louisiana during and after the devastation of the hurricane.

The “American Crime Story” franchise kicked off with “The People v. O.J. Simpson,” which won nine Emmy Awards, plus the Golden Globe, BAFTA, AFI, PGA, WGA, and TCA awards, becoming perhaps the most critically-acclaimed series of 2016. Another future season of “American Crime Story,” which is undated, will explore the Monica Lewinsky scandal.