Charlie Hunnam is channeling something sinister.
The Sons of Anarchy alum looked unrecognizable as serial killer Ed Gein while filming the upcoming season of Ryan Murphy's Monster Nov. 19 in Los Angeles.
Hunnam—donning slacks, a brown patterned button-down shirt and a red plaid coat—finished his look with a styled combover for the anthology series.
Following seasons one and two—which focused on Evan Peters as Jeffrey Dahmer and Nicolas Alexander Chavez and Cooper Koch as Lyle Menendez and Erik Menendez, respectively—Murphy revealed the latest storyline in September.
As for how Hunnam—who will star alongside Laurie Metcalf, Tom Hollander and Olivia Williams—was recruited for the role? Murphy credited Max Winkler, who will be directing some of the episodes.
"I was talking to Max about it," he told Collider last month. "He is friends with Charlie, and he goes, 'Oh my god, Charlie. Do you love Charlie's work?' I was like, 'I've always wanted to work with him.'"
"So I met with Charlie and he's just the most lovely person," he continued. "He liked what we were doing. He liked what it's about. Every generation gets the monster that they deserve, you know? So we're writing about a lot of things, but he's a wonderful guy."
Murphy, who co-created the series with Ian Brennan, also shared more insight into spotlighting Gein for the latest installment.
"After we did Menendez, Ian and I were talking about it, and we were interested in this idea of, 'Where did our cultural interest in serial killers begin? Where and how did this all start?'" the 59-year-old explained. "Based on our research, the very first one who became a celebrity at that level was Ed, who was an instant crazy celebrity from the moment he was arrested."
"Nobody had ever heard of anything like that," he added. "Then we found out—he was motivated, obviously—but he was schizophrenic. How he became what he became was a very interesting story."
Indeed, Gein has remained among the most prolific serial killers in history. Nicknamed "The Butcher of Plainfield," he became infamous during the 1950s when authorities discovered that along with killing people, he also practiced necrophilia and made households and clothing from their remains, per Britannica. Since then, his chilling lore has inspired much of the horror genre.
"The amazing thing that the show talks about is how many villains and how much pop culture is based on Ed Gein—Psycho, Silence of the Lambs, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, American Psycho, and on and on and on and on," Murphy explained to Collider. "Ed influenced a lot of things in the past 100 years, and this season is a very interesting season to work on because it asks the question, 'How did we get so interested in this and why? Where did it all begin?'"
Keep reading for more details on Murphy-created TV shows…
Ratched
Ryan Murphy's first announced Netflix project is Ratched, an origin story of sorts for the nurse from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Sarah Paulson will play the title character, and the rest of the cast is nothing less than impressive.
Ratched on Netflix starts shooting in a couple weeks," Murphy wrote in January. "On behalf of myself and Ms. Sarah Catharine Paulson who plays the title role and is also a big fancy producer on it, we are thrilled to announce our amazing cast...a true murderers' row of talent. So many of these actors are supremely talented folks who Sarah and I have both longed to work with. The Ratched Principal Players, in alphabetical order: Jon Jon Briones, Charlie Carver, Judy Davis, Harriet Harris, Cynthia Nixon, Hunter Parrish, Amanda Plummer, Corey Stoll, Sharon Stone, and Finn Wittrock. More to come, but come on...Sarah, Cynthia, Judy, Amanda and Sharon, all doing scenes together? I cannot WAIT."
Neither can we!
The Politician
Murphy is joining forces with Jessica Lange once again for The Politician, a musical satire that stars Ben Platt as a high schooler desperate to get on the right path to one day being President of the United States. Alongside Platt and Lange, Gwyneth Paltrow, Zoey Deutch, Lucy Boynton, Bob Balaban, David Corenswet, Julia Schlaepfer, Laura Dreyfuss, Theo Germaine, Rahne Jones, and Benjamin Barrett. The Politician comes out September 27.
Hollywood
Murphy announced Hollywood on Instagram: "My new Netflix show co-created with Ian Brennan begins principal photography this summer. A love letter to the Golden Age of Tinseltown, this straight-to-series production will be my third show for Netflix and I couldn't be more excited or proud about the work we are doing together. More to come…"
Not many more details are available.
The Prom
Ryan Murphy really, really loved new Broadway musical The Prom. First, he hosted a special performance of the show benefitting LGBTQ youth, and now he's bringing it to Netflix along with the show's original Broadway producers and creative team.
"The Prom is one of the most uplifting, heartfelt and special musicals I have ever seen on Broadway. It's truly an original that celebrates the underdog and says in a loving spectacular way that LGBTQ rights are human rights. I feel a special connection to it because it's set in Indiana, and that's where I grew up, too. I'm thrilled to announce I'm turning it into a MOVIE EVENT for Netflix..."
As Murphy tells it, the show tells "the story of an incredibly courageous girl facing injustice in a small town and the larger-than-life Broadway celebrities who take up her cause."
The Boys In the Band
Murphy plans to film a Netflix movie of the groundbreaking and somewhat controversial Broadway show about a group of gay men gathering for a party, with the Broadway cast.
"Last summer, The Boys In the Band were on Broadway, breaking house records at The Booth," Murphy wrote on Instagram. "THIS summer, The Boys In the Band will be filming a Netflix movie event. The incomparable Joe Mantello, who directed the Broadway revival, will direct the film adaptation. The Broadway cast of Boys was so important to me, and as equally groundbreaking as Mart Crowley's seminal work. Everyone in the cast was out and proud...and feeling so blessed to mark the 50th anniversary of Mart's landmark play. The entire Broadway cast will reprise their roles in the film. I can't wait to be on set with Joe and Jim Parsons, Zachary Quinto, Andrew Rannells, Matt Bomer, Charlie Carver, Robin de Jesus, Tuc Watkins, Michael Benjamin Washington and Brian Hutchison. I will be producing the film with David Stone and Ned Martel. Look for THE BOYS on Netflix in 2020."
Scream Queens?
Scream Queens, Murphy's satirical dramedy starring Emma Roberts, Billie Lourd, and Lea Michele, was canceled on Fox after two seasons in 2016, but Murphy recently wondered if a revival should be considered.
"So many people recently have been asking me about rebooting or continuing Scream Queens (RIP, taken too soon)," he said on Instagram. "Emma, Billie, Lea and I have mused on it, but question: should it be a six episode limited? A catch up movie? Who should I bring back? Would love your thoughts. So many questions...."
The show aired on Fox and was produced through 20th Century Fox TV, but Fox did cancel it, so maybe we could see its return on Netflix. Stranger things have happened.