‘DAHMER – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story’ Netflix Series: What We Know So Far

One of the biggest shows to come out of the Netflix Ryan Murphy deal is on the horizon. We’re referring to DAHMER =– Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, telling the story of the infamous serial killer in a gripping 10-part limited series, created by Murphy and his long-time collaborator Ian Brennan. 

The script for DAHMER — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story was written by Murphy along with Ian Brennan (Glee, Ratched, Scream Queens) and David McMillan (Lucifer, Sleepy Hollow).

The three known directors of the limited series are Carl Franklin (House of Cards, Mindhunter), who directs the pilot episode, Paris Barclay (NYPD Blue), and Janet Mock (Pose, Hollywood). All three directors will executive produce the series along with Murphy and Brennan. Rashad Johnson of Color of Change, a racial justice project, also will serve as supervising producer.

DAHMER — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story is only one of the many projects that Murphy is working on for Netflix as part of his big overall deal with the streamer.

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When will DAHMER — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story be released on Netflix?

No official release date for DAHMER – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story has been announced just yet, although it has been confirmed that it will debut in late 2022.

We can exclusively report Netflix is set to debut the show in full on September 21st, 2022, which Netflix themselves has now confirmed.

A full trailer will be released on September 16th, with a second trailer likely arriving on September 20th, 2022.

This is one of three projects Ryan Murphy has coming out in Fall 2022. The next project after Dahmer will be Mr. Harrigan’s Phone on October 5th, and then The Watcher due out in mid-October 2022.

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Who was Jeffrey Dahmer and what is the plot of the Netflix series?

Jeffrey Lionel Dahmer, known as the Milwaukee Cannibal or the Milwaukee Monster, was a notorious American serial killer and sex offender who murdered and dismembered 17 men and boys from 1978-1991, many of them people of color and some underage.

Most of the murders also involved necrophilia, cannibalism and the preservation of body parts. Although he was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, schizotypal personality disorder, and a psychotic disorder, Dahmer was found to be legally sane at his trial. Convicted of 16 murders, he was beaten to death by another inmate in 1994, two years into his sentence. He was 34.

According to Deadline, Monster is expected to span the 60s, 70s, 80s and conclude with Dahmer’s arrest in 1991. It is also expected to have a more psychological approach than other adaptations of Dahmer’s story. Monster will focus more on how these murders were allowed to happen over so many years.

Here is the official logline for Netflix’s Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story:

“Monster chronicles the story of one of America’s most notorious serial killers, largely told from the point of view of Jeffrey Dahmer’s victims, and dives deeply into the police incompetence and apathy that allowed the Wisconsin native to go on a multiyear killing spree. The series dramatizes at least 10 instances where Dahmer was almost apprehended but ultimately let go. The series also is expected to touch on white privilege, as Dahmer, a cleancut, good-looking white guy, was repeatedly given a free pass by cops as well as by judges who were lenient when he had been charged with petty crimes.”

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Will the plot of Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story be faithful to real-life events?

While the limited series is based on true documented events, we can’t expect a fully faithful retelling of everything. In almost all productions based on true stories, things get changed and shifted around for dramatic purposes.

We can also expect a decent amount of new material to put the events in context, better flesh out the characters of the story, and fill in the gaps where needed.

Perhaps the most appropriate example for comparison here would be The Assassination of Gianni Versace, the second season of Ryan Murphy’s American Crime Story, where over nine episodes we are witnessing the story of Andrew Cunanan, the man who murdered Gianni Versace. We can see many perspectives and many of Cunanan’s other victims before he eventually killed Versace. As people noticed, Murphy kept up with most of the facts about the case while inventing his own scenes to put things in context and fill in the gaps.

That being said, Ryan Murphy’s series is based on real events, and people are always praised for their exceptional casting, especially the ability to find actors who look like their real-life counterparts and are also great performers.

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Who is cast in DAHMER — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story?

It was confirmed in March 2021 that Ryan Murphy’s longtime collaborator Evan Peters will play the titular role.

Peters has appeared in many of Murphy’s seasons of American Horror Story and most recently has been seen as Quicksilver in WandaVision.

You can hear Peters talk about the role in this interview:

Next to Peters, Oscar nominee and Emmy winner Richard Jenkins (The Shape Of Water, Berlin Station) and Penelope Ann Miller will play Lionel and Joyce Dahmer, respectively, who are Jeffrey’s parents.

Molly Ringwald will play the role of Shari Dahmer in the series.

The other series’ lead will be Niecy Nash, also one of the go-to actors for Ryan Murphy. Nash will play Glenda Cleveland, a neighbor of Dahmer’s who called the police numerous times and even tried calling the FBI to alert them of Dahmer’s erratic behavior, to no avail.

You can hear Niecy Nash talk about her upcoming role here:

Besides them, the Monster will feature Shaun Brown and Colin Ford, with Brown portraying Dahmer’s last intended victim, the one who managed to escape and call the police.

Elsewhere here’s who else is in the cast for the series:

• Arye Gross (Better Call Saul) as Gerald Boyle
• Michael Learned (The Waltons) as Catherin Dahmer
• Dominic Burgess (Feud) as John Wayne Gacy
• Grant Harvey (Animal Kingdom) as Officer Mueller
• Karen Malina White (Lean on Me) as Shirley Hughes
• Rhoyle Ivy King (All American: Homecoming) as Don

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What is the production status on DAHMER — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story?

Netflix’s DAHMER — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story entered production on March 23, 2021, in Los Angeles, according to issue 1236 of Production Weekly.

According to reports, the show wrapped filming on September 13th, 2021.

Other reports contradict this, but we all know that the show entered post-production sometime in September 2021.

Eye-witness reports on social media spotted the show filming in locations such as Pomona, California.

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Are you looking forward to Ryan Murphy’s upcoming limited series? Let us know in the comments down below.