‘Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story’ Trailer: Chlo? Sevigny and Javier Bardem Lead True Crime Murder Case
Chlo? Sevigny and Javier Bardem are the opposite of one happy family.
The duo star as the ill-fated couple Mary Louise “Kitty” and José Menendez, who were both brutally murdered by their sons Lyle (Nicholas Alexander Chavez) and Erik (Cooper Koch). Their sons were convicted in 1996 after alleging they killed their parents over abuse. The infamous case is fictionalized in the latest installment of Ryan Murphy’s “Monster” anthology series at Netflix with “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story,” following Emmy-winning “Dahmer — Monster.”
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The official synopsis reads: “While the prosecution argued they were seeking to inherit their family fortune, the brothers claimed — and remain adamant to this day, as they serve life sentences without the possibility of parole — that their actions stemmed out of fear from a lifetime of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse at the hands of their parents. ‘Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story’ dives into the historic case that took the world by storm, paved the way for audiences’ modern-day fascination with true crime, and in return asks those audiences: Who are the real monsters?”
The case of the Menendez family was previously depicted in 2017’s “The Menendez Murders,” a “Law & Order True Crime” installment from Dick Wolf.
Longtime Murphy collaborator Sevigny returns into the mega-producer’s orbit after “Feud.” Meanwhile, Bardem is making his Murphy debut with the series. In addition, Nathan Lane portrays Dominick Dunne, with Ari Graynor cast as Leslie Abramson.
The ensemble also includes Leslie Grossman, Dallas Roberts, Paul Adelstein, Jason Butler Harner, Enrique Murciano, Michael Gladis, Drew Powell, Charlie Hall, Gil Ozeri, Jeff Perry, Tessa Auberjonois, Tanner Stine, Larry Clarke, Marlene Forte, and “Little Fires Everywhere” breakout Jade Pettyjohn.
Murphy and Ian Brennan co-create and executive produce “Monsters” along with actor Bardem, Alexis Martin Woodall, Eric Kovtun, Scott Robertson, David McMillan, Louise Shore, and Carl Franklin.
The season is directed by Brennan, Franklin, Max Winkler, Paris Barclay, and Michael Uppendahl. The writers include Murphy, Brennan, David McMillan, Todd Kubrak, and Reilly Smith.
Despite Murphy exiting his Netflix deal in 2023 for a partnership with the Disney Corporation which includes Hulu and 20th Century Fox TV, “Monsters” is still at the streaming platform. Emmy-winning “Dahmer — Monster” was in Netflix’s Top 10 of the most popular English language TV originals, and was renewed for a second season in 2022.
Murphy’s empire is also now getting into the realm of sports with “American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez,” starring Josh Rivera as the New England Patriots tight end who was convicted of murder. Patrick Schwarzenegger portrays Tim Tebow, with Tammy Blanchard cast as Terri Hernandez and Lindsay Mendez as Tanya Singleton in the Hulu series.
“Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story” premieres September 19 on Netflix. Check out the trailer below.
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