FX orders ‘Feud,’ Bette Davis-Joan Crawford miniseries from Ryan Murphy
Fasten your seat belts, TV viewers, it’s going to be a bumpy ride.
On Thursday, FX announced that it had ordered an eight-episode limited series from prolific executive producer Ryan Murphy that will dramatize the infamous rivalry between classic Hollywood stars Joan Crawford and Bette Davis.
“Feud” will star Murphy favorite Jessica Lange as Crawford and Susan Sarandon as Davis, and will be the first installment of a planned anthology series that “will explore the bouts and blows of epic conflicts,” according to FX.
The series will focus on the filming of the 1962 camp classic “What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?,” a project that capitalized on Davis and Crawford’s well-known dislike for each other and that was intended to revive their flagging careers.
The cast also includes Alfred Molina as director Robert Aldrich, Stanley Tucci as studio chief Jack Warner and Judy Davis as gossip columnist Hedda Hopper.
“Feud” will also be executive produced by Brad Pitt and Dede Gardner’s Plan B Entertainment.
The pilot is based on the script “Best Actress” by Jaffe Cohen and Michael Zam, and Murphy will direct several episodes of the series.
The busy writer-director-producer has been credited with reinvigorating the miniseries with the Emmy-winning “American Horror Story” franchise and, more recently, the critically lauded “The People v. OJ Simpson: American Crime Story.” (We have just one question: Did Murphy ever plan to call “Feud” “American Catfight”?)
In the ultimate indicator of Hollywood success, Murphy’s projects have inspired numerous imitators, including a true crime “Law & Order” anthology series that will dramatize the case of the Menendez Brothers.
Set to premiere in 2017, “Feud” will begin filming later this year. One can assume there won’t be any wire hangers on set.
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