With Monster: The Ed Gein Story continuing to dominate the Netflix charts, creators Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan have officially begun production on the fourth season of their acclaimed true-crime anthology.
The new installment the first in the Monster series to center on a female killer will focus on the infamous Lizzie Borden case, with rising star Ella Beatty (Feud: Capote vs. The Swans, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You) taking on the titular role.
Borden, a figure of enduring American folklore, was tried and acquitted in 1892 for the brutal axe murders of her father and stepmother in Fall River, Massachusetts. Her story has inspired numerous screen adaptations over the decades, including the 1975 TV film The Legend of Lizzie Borden, Lifetime’s 2014 Lizzie Borden Took an Ax, and the 2018 feature Lizzie starring Chloë Sevigny and Kristen Stewart.
Season three star Charlie Hunnam will return for the new season, portraying Andrew Borden. The cast also features Vicky Krieps (Phantom Thread, Corsage) as Bridget Sullivan, Rebecca Hall (Christine, Passing) as Abby Borden, Billie Lourd (American Horror Story, The Last Showgirl) as Emma Borden, and Jessica Barden (The End of the F**ing World*, Dune: Prophecy) as Nance O’Neill.
Max Winkler, who directed episodes of Monster: The Ed Gein Story and the feature film Flower, will helm the first episode of the upcoming season. Additional casting and production details are expected to be announced later.
The start of filming comes as Monster: The Ed Gein Story continues to perform strongly for Netflix. Released globally on October 3, the third season shot to the top of the streamer’s Top 10 list, amassing 12.2 million views in its first three days.
That season examined the life of Ed Gein, the notorious Wisconsin murderer whose crimes including grave robbing and wearing human skin have inspired generations of horror films. Hunnam, who portrayed Gein, previously addressed the show’s tone and intent ahead of its release.
“I never felt like we were sensationalizing it,” Hunnam said. “I never felt on set that we did anything gratuitous or for shock impact. It was all in order to try to tell this story as honestly as we could…. What I would hope and feel really confident in is that it was a very sincere exploration of the human condition and why this boy did what he did.”
The Monster anthology which began with Dahmer Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story and followed with Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story has become one of Netflix’s most-watched franchises, earning both Emmy recognition and cultural controversy for its retelling of real-life crimes.
The fourth season joins a growing slate of Netflix productions currently shooting in Los Angeles, alongside Monster: The Ed Gein Story and other returning hits such as Nobody Wants This Season 2, Beef Season 2, The Lincoln Lawyer Season 4, and Worst Ex Ever Season 2, as well as new feature films The Rip and Animals.
No release date for Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story has been announced yet, but filming is underway marking the next chilling chapter in Murphy and Brennan’s exploration of American infamy.
