Monster creator Ryan Murphy has revealed that one potential subject for a future season of the hit Netflix crime anthology series was Luigi Mangione, the man accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in 2024.
While promoting Monster: The Ed Gein Story, Murphy spoke to Variety about his creative process and the ongoing development of the Monster franchise, which has already tackled the stories of Jeffrey Dahmer (played by Evan Peters) and Lyle and Erik Menendez (played by Nicholas Alexander Chavez and Cooper Koch).
The upcoming third season will centre on Ed Gein, portrayed by Charlie Hunnam, with a fourth reportedly set to focus on Lizzie Borden, the 19th-century figure often speculated to be queer.
According to Murphy, Mangione was briefly considered as a future subject—but it may be too early.
“We have a ‘maybe one day’ file,” Murphy said. “We know nothing about him,” he added, referring to the limited public information available about Mangione’s background and motivations.
Who Is Luigi Mangione?
Luigi Mangione, 27, was arrested in Pennsylvania just five days after the alleged murder of Brian Thompson, which occurred in New York City on 4 December 2024. The killing prompted a nationwide manhunt, culminating in Mangione’s high-profile arrest. He has since pleaded not guilty to charges of murder.
Given the case’s recent nature and pending legal proceedings, Murphy indicated it would be premature to dramatise it for television—though it remains on his radar.
Monster: The Ed Gein Story – Bringing a Killer to Life
The latest Monster instalment, The Ed Gein Story, premieres on Netflix on 3 October. Actor Charlie Hunnam, known to queer audiences for his role in Queer As Folk, takes on the chilling role of the notorious “Plainfield Butcher”—a man infamous for exhuming corpses and wearing his victims’ skin.
“You have to have an enormous amount of love and empathy for a character that you play to be able to inhabit them,” Hunnam explained.
“As despicable as Ed was in his acts, I wanted to find the human in there.”
Hunnam acknowledged the challenge of portraying such a dark figure with sensitivity.
“I personally don’t like to be forced to confront the most bleak and sinister elements of the human condition,” he said.
“My hope was… to bring Gein to life in as honest and human a way as possible.”
As Monster continues to explore the darkest corners of human behaviour, Murphy’s “maybe one day” list leaves fans speculating which figures may be next in the chilling anthology.
