Earlier this week, producers of the much anticipated television drama The Assassination Of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story spoke on how the upcoming show will have a focus on being out in the 90’s.
“As we began to unpack the show, we realized this was about the politics of being out in the 1990s.” Executive Producer Brad Simpson said.
The series follows the highly successful first season The People vs O.J. Simpson American Crime Story, which blitzed the awards season. Heavily based off Vulgar Favors: The Assassination of Gianni Versace by journalist Maureen Orth, this new TV show aims to explore the highly publicised murder of Gianni Versace, whilst also delving into the intricacies of being gay in the 90’s, told through the eyes of tortured man Andrew Cunanan (Darren Criss).
Executive Producer Nina Jacobsen elaborated on how Versace follows on from O.J, whilst also telling its own story about being gay.
“I think what we realised during the first season is that we wanted every season of the show to ultimately be about a crime that America feels guilty of, and find a way to sort of explore what is a cultural crime as well as a specific crime, or in this case a series of crimes. In this case, to try to explore and re-conjure what it was to be gay in the ’90s.”
In 1997, 27 year old Andrew Cunanan traveled across America on a four month killing spree, during which he murdered at least five people. On July 15th he shot and killed fashion designer Gianni Versace on the steps of his Florida mansion. Versace had been returning from a morning walk.
Police have never been able to work out what motivated Cunanan to commit the murders, which robbed the world of one of the great fashion designers 20 years ago.
Despite the time passed, creator Ryan Murphy has said that the themes explored in the show are very relevant to the current global climate. “They don’t seem like they’re frozen in amber,” he continued. “They feel very alive and plucked from today’s headlines.”
Whilst audiences may already know what became of Gianni Versace, the star-studded show promises to give greater insight into a sexy and brooding decade filled with mystery.
Versace: American Crime Story premieres in the US on January 18th on FX. The Australian release date for Versace has not yet been revealed.
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