Ryan Murphy has a clear interest in fashion — but apparently he’s also fascinated by the places the fashionable frequented. Just a month after premiering his Ewan McGregor-starring Netflix series Halston about the famed American couturier, the super-producer quietly announced that one of his next projects won’t focus on a famous designer but will instead center on the famed erstwhile haunt of the stylish set: Studio 54.
“I love doing things that are about fashion,” Murphy admitted on a recent episode of Deadline’s Crew Call podcast while talking about Halston.
After expressing his interest in “making episodes of Halston” for his “whole career,” he added that he also has plans to return to one of the designer’s signature hangouts.
“We’re going to do Studio 54 as a season of American Crime Story,” he revealed.
“You can tell in my work that I’m obsessed with that era,” he told the podcast’s host, Anthony D’Alessandro. Later, he added that he was a child in Indiana during the legendary nightclub’s prime, “getting the Liz Smith column in the Indianapolis Star [and] reading about it.”
“I love what it’s about. I love that time and place. But I also feel like it’s a story of excess and a story of two guys who had a dream, and took the dream too far and paid for it,” the multi-Emmy winner continued. “It’s an interesting story to tell through the prism of American Crime Story.”
And that’s certainly hard to argue with — the story of the rise and fall of Studio 54 would fit perfectly under the American Crime Story umbrella. Like Halston, it’s a cautionary tale of a man — or, in this case, two men — who let early success fool them into thinking they were invincible.
As the familiar story goes, entrepreneurs Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager opened Studio 54 in Manhattan in the late 1970s and the club quickly established itself as the hottest go-to disco destination for celebrities and cool kids. However, the two club owners also got into some shady dealings, and two years after setting up its velvet ropes, Studio 54 was forced to close its doors after Rubell and Schrager were convicted of tax evasion and sentenced to prison.
In 2018, Murphy premiered the second installment of his critically-acclaimed American Crime Story series. Subtitled The Assasination of Gianni Versace, it focused on Andrew Cunanan, the gay serial killer who went on a multi-city spree that concluded with his murder of the titular Italian fashion designer.
Widely considered to be one of Murphy’s strongest across-the-board series, The Assasination of Gianni Versace won seven Emmys (out of 18 nominations), including Outstanding Limited Series and Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series for Darren Criss.
That being said, we shouldn’t expect a Studio 54-focused season to premiere anytime soon. The next American Crime Story series is already set and scheduled to premiere on September 7. Subtitled Impeachment, the third installment will follow the infamous Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky presidential scandal, with Clive Owen playing the former American presidenct and queer Booksmart star Beanie Feldstein fulfilling the role of Lewinsky.
But with Murphy’s penchant for juggling multiple projects at once, it’s likely only a matter of time before we’re treated to an in-depth series about the most famous nightclub in history. I don’t know about you, but I’m already raiding my closet in preparation.
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