Monica Lewinsky will serve as a producer on the upcoming third season of American Crime Story, titled Impeachment.
Back in 2017, director Ryan Murphy revealed he was planning to adapt the 1999 Jeffrey Toobin investigative novel A Vast Conspiracy: The Real Story of the Sex Scandal That Nearly Brought Down a President into an FX TV series.
The book takes a deep dive into former U.S. president Bill Clinton‘s secret affair with former White House intern Lewinsky and the impeachment and backlash that followed after their relationship became public knowledge.
However, Murphy, 53, made the decision not to move forward with the show as he said Lewinsky’s story should not be told by anyone other than herself.
On discussing the project with Lewinsky, 46, Murphy said: “I told her, ‘Nobody should tell your story but you, and it’s kind of gross if they do. If you want to produce it with me, I would love that, but you should be the producer and you should make all the goddamn money.'”
According to Vanity Fair, FX announced on Tuesday, Aug. 6 that Murphy’s ongoing American Crime Story anthology series would, in fact, explore the infamous Clinton impeachment in its upcoming third season, with Lewinsky serving as the show’s main producer.
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Lewinsky explained to Vanity Fair what helped make her decision.
“I was hesitant and, truthfully, more than a little scared to sign on,” she said. “But after a lengthy dinner meeting with Ryan, I came to understand even more clearly how dedicated he is to giving a voice to the marginalized in all of his brilliant work.
“People have been co-opting and telling my part in this story for decades,” she wrote. “In fact, it wasn’t until the past few years that I’ve been able to fully reclaim my narrative; almost 20 years later.”
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“I’m so grateful for the growth we’ve made as a society that allows people like me, who have been historically silenced, to finally reintroduce my voice to the conversation.”
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“This isn’t just a me problem,” she added. “Powerful people, often men, take advantage of those subordinate to them in myriad ways all the time. Many people will see this as such a story, and for that reason, this narrative is one that is, regretfully, evergreen.”
The debut run of the critically acclaimed series explored the O.J. Simpson murder case, which concluded in 1995, while the followup season covered the assassination of iconic fashion designer Gianni Versace in 1997.
Beanie Feldstein is set to star as Lewinsky alongside longtime Murphy collaborator and American Horror Story alum Sarah Paulson, who will portray Linda Tripp — the woman who secretly taped and exposed Lewinsky’s confessions to the scandalous affair back in 1998.
It’s currently unclear who will play Clinton or his wife, Hillary Clinton.
As of this writing, Impeachment has no official release date, however, according to Variety, it is expected to premiere in fall 2020. Production will begin next February.
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