Prepare to see Monica Lewinsky’s name in the headlines again. Fox 21 TV Studios and FX Productions have optioned the rights to Jeffrey Toobin’s “A Vast Conspiracy: The Real Sex Scandal That Nearly Brought Down A President” with plans to adapt the book for an upcoming installment of “American Crime Story,” Deadline reports. Released in 2000, the non-fiction bestseller chronicles the affair between Lewinsky, a former White House intern, and Bill Clinton, then-President of the United States, and the political consequences of the scandal.
The hit first season of “American Crime Story” depicted the trial of former football star O.J. Simpson, who was accused of murdering his ex-wife, Nicole Brown, and her friend Ron Goldman. The critical darling went on to win nine Emmys, two Golden Globes, and many other accolades, particularly for Sarah Paulson, who portrayed Deputy District Attorney Marcia Clark.
“Production is underway on the next two installments of Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk’s ‘American Crime Story,’” Deadline writes. “Season 2, expected in 2018, will focus on Hurricane Katrina. Season 3 explores the July 1997 assassination of designer Gianni Versace.” That being the case, it seems likely that it’ll be Season 4 that features Lewinsky and Clinton.
As Sara Stewart wrote in her review of “American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson,” Paulson’s Clark offered viewers “a new perspective on what it was like to be the only woman at the front of that courtroom, prosecuting a case she understandably thought, at the outset, was a slam-dunk.” The show explored the sexist backlash Clark had to deal with, including criticisms of her looks and the fact that she was a working mom.
We’re optimistic about how “American Crime Story” will depict Lewinsky. So often reduced to a punchline, the activist and designer deserves better. Plus, Murphy’s push to have more women directors work on his shows has been a huge success, so there’s a good chance that a significant number of episodes portraying Lewinsky’s relationship with the much older, much more powerful Clinton will be helmed by women.
Check out Lewinsky’s TED Talk below. In it, she discusses how public scrutiny affected her. “I was Patient Zero of losing a personal reputation on a global scale almost instantaneously,” she observes.
