English actor Charlie Hunnam has been cast in the lead role in season 3 of Ryan Murphy’s Monster series on Netflix. The show is based on infamous true-crime figures, and each season focuses on a particular case.
The first season, titled Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, told the real-life horrifying tale of notorious cannibalistic serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, who was portrayed by Evan Peters. Season 2, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, tackles the story of the Menendez brothers who brutally murdered their parents in 1996. Lyle and Erik are played by Nicholas Alexander Chavez and Cooper Koch, respectively.
Details are scant about the next season, which will presumably be released in Sept. 2025 based on previous seasons’ release dates, but Murphy confirmed that he has found his next “monster” in Hunnam. The 44-year-old actor is most known for his role as Jax Teller in the FX series Sons of Anarchy, which ran from 2008 to 2014. He also appeared as the lead in movies such as Pacific Rim, The Lost City of Z, and King Arthur: Legend of the Sword.
Charlie Hunnam as killer Ed Gein
Murphy has also revealed that Monster season 3 will be about killer Ed Gein, who was convicted of one count of murder but was suspected to have had more victims. Gein lived in Plainfield, Wisconsin, with his mother Augusta, who was a religious fanatic. Gein was a recluse and devoted his life to his mother, but his life spiraled after Augusta died in 1945.
In the years following Augusta’s death, several people went missing in Plainfield, and one of them was a 58-year-old woman named Bernice Worden who owned a hardware store. Worden’s son had suspicions that Gein had something to do with his mother’s disappearance, as he had visited the store the day before she was discovered missing. Authorities visited Gein’s property and in the shed, they discovered Worden’s headless and mutilated corpse. Further investigation uncovered grisly items in the home including human bones, clothing made of human skin, skulls, and several body parts from different people.
Gein was arrested in 1957, and he pleaded not guilty due to insanity. He was sent to a mental facility, but by 1968, he was deemed fit to stand trial. He was found guilty but was brought to a psychiatric institution, as he was found legally insane. Gein died of heart failure in 1984 at 77 years old.
Gein, also known as the “Butcher of Plainfield,” has inspired many characters and movies. Psycho’s Norman Bates, who had an unhealthy infatuation with his mother, shared characteristics with the real-life killer. The Silence of the Lambs serial killer Buffalo Bill, who used the skin of his victims to create clothing, was also based on Gein. It’s interesting to see how Hunnam will be playing the part of the reclusive killer and bring his horror to life on screen.
Season 3 of Monster will begin filming in Oct. 2024.
Published: Sep 19, 2024 04:53 am