FX is reshuffling the future installments of American Crime Story. Katrina, which was previously announced as the next season, has been pushed, with Versace now set to air as the show’s second season. Versace is expected to air in early 2018, with Katrina following later in the year.
The network made it known earlier this year that Ryan Murphy and his team of writers were taking their time putting the scripts for Katrina together – working from source material including The Great Deluge: Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans, and the Mississippi Gulf Coast by Douglas Brinkley – in order to match the quality of the initial season, The People V. O.J. Simpson.
That is what has caused this further delay to Katrina, which will now enter production in early 2018. As a result of the production delay, it is not immediately clear if the cast assembled for Katrina – which includes Matthew Broderick and Annette Benning – will remain intact. Production on Versace began in April, allowing producers to get it on air in early 2018.
The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story tells the true story of the murder of Gianni Versace in 1997. The scripts are being penned by Tom Rob Smith. The cast for Versace includes Edgar Rarmirez, Penélope Cruz, Darren Criss and Ricky Martin, amongst others. It is produced by Fox 21 Television Studios and FX Productions, with Ryan Murphy, Nina Jacobson, Brad Simpson, Brad Falchuk and Tom Rob Smith service as executive producers.
The UK rights to American Crime Story are held by the BBC and Netflix UK. BBC Two gets the first window, with respective seasons of American Crime Story popping up on the streaming service after the broadcast window. It’s not immediately clear how this reshuffle will affect the BBC, who back in April revealed that they had exercised their option on Katrina.
The BBC was unable to confirm whether their rights package specifically covers Katrina (thus requiring them to now acquire Versace) or simply the “second season”. That said, TVWise understands that the latter is the case and as the BBC have no deal in place for season three, they would need to make an additional agreement with Twentieth Century Fox Television Distribution for Katrina.
