Two decades ago, the O.J. Simpson trial captivated the entire country. Now it’s about to do it all over again.
FX Networks has just released the star-studded first trailer for American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson, the premiere installment of the forthcoming anthology series. Be warned: The case’s intrigue is definitely still there.
The preview has it all, from the high-speed chase to the media circus surrounding the trial. We even see Kardashian family strife as husband Robert (David Schwimmer) and wife Kris (Selma Blair) find themselves at odds over his involvement in Simpson’s defense. At the center of it all, of course, is the question of the football star’s guilt after the murder of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ron Goldman.
The issue of race in the case is also prominent in the trailer. At one point, Robert Shapiro (played by John Travolta) confirms that he’ll make the case all about race — “because it is.” Later, Simpson (Cuba Gooding, Jr.) says, “You want to make this a black thing. Well, I’m not black. I’m O.J.”
The impressive cast also stars Sarah Paulson as head prosecutor Marcia Clark, Courtney B. Vance as defense lawyer Johnnie Cochran, and more. Between the the famous faces featured and the high-profile trail upon which the first season is based, it seems inevitable that the show will catch on.
As many questions as there were for outsiders watching the trial at the time, it’s clear from the trailer that those who were closely connected to it had just as many. We see Simpson’s friends Faye Resnick (Connie Britton) and Kris Kardashian whispering about the murder, with Resnick insisting that Nicole was terrified of her ex. “The trial wasn’t the whole story,” teases the trailer. “This is.”
American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson is set to premiere on February 2 on FX.
