Skip to main content

'American Crime Story' casts its Donatella Versace, and it isn't Lady Gaga

versace penelope cruz
We already know that the upcoming third installment of the American Crime Story anthology series from Ryan Murphy, Versace, will cover the murder of Italian fashion designer Gianni Versace. And now we know who will play his sister and current vice president of The Versace Group, Donatella Versace: Penelope Cruz, reports Variety.

Gianni Versace, who will be played by Edgar Ramirez (The Girl on the Train, The Bourne Ultimatum) in the FX series, was killed outside of his Miami Beach home by serial killer Andrew Cunanan. Darren Criss, who has worked with Murphy on several other of his projects, including American Horror Story and Glee, has been cast as Cunanan. It was initially rumored that Lady Gaga, who appeared in the last season of American Horror Story, might be a shoe-in for Donatella. But this news puts those rumors to rest.

Related Videos

This will mark Cruz’s first regular television series acting gig. The actress is best know for her lengthy movie career, starring in a string of films across many genres, including Vanilla Sky, Blow, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, and, most recently, the comedies The Brothers Grimsby and Zoolander 2. She has a number of firsts to her credit as well, including the first Spanish actress to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and the first Spanish actress to receive an Academy Award, which she won in the Best Supporting Actress category in 2009 for her role as painter Maria Elena in Vicky Cristina Barcelona.

Versace, which will be based on Vulgar Favors, a book by Maureen Orth, is set to debut some time in 2018. It will follow the second installment of the series, called Katrina, which will chronicle the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, also set to debut next year. Murphy has also already confirmed the focus of the fourth installment: the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal.

The first American Crime Story series, The People v. O.J. Simpson, was released in February 2016, and was met with rave reviews, receiving tons of accolades, including 10 Emmy wins. It ignited the careers of some of its actors, including Sterling K. Brown, and reinforced the positions of accomplished actors like Sarah Paulson and Cuba Gooding Jr.

Tom Rob Smith will serve as writer for many of the Versace episodes, as well as executive producer alongside Murphy, Nina Jacobson, Brad Simpson, and Brad Falchuk.

Editors' Recommendations

Confess, Fletch review: Jon Hamm charms in crime comedy reboot
Jon Hamm holds a drink in a scene from Confess, Fletch.

Murder mysteries with a sense of humor are back in vogue lately, with projects like Knives Out, Death on the Nile, and Only Murders in the Building enjoying success as their protagonists -- sometimes brilliant, sometimes bumbling -- navigate cases crowded with colorful suspects. Given all of that positive buzz, you don't need a trail of clues to deduce why Confess, Fletch is reintroducing audiences to Irwin "Fletch" Fletcher, novelist Gregory Mcdonald's snarky, crime-solving investigative journalist.

Directed by Greg Mottola (Superbad, Adventureland) from a script he co-wrote with Zev Borow, and based on Mcdonald's 1976 novel of the same name, Confess, Fletch casts Jon Hamm as the titular tenacious reporter, who finds himself embroiled in yet another murder while investigating an international art theft. Hamm takes over the role from Chevy Chase, who portrayed Fletcher in the 1985 film Fletch and its 1989 sequel, Fletch Lives.

Read more
It’s a Mad Men reunion in a new preview for Confess, Fletch
John Slattery and Jon Hamm in Confess, Fletch.

It's been over seven years since AMC's Mad Men came to an end, and most of the cast has gone on to big things. Elizabeth Moss has headlined Hulu's The Handmaid's Tale, while Jon Hamm has largely moved on to features. Hamm's next movie, Confess, Fletch, is a reboot of the Fletch films from the 1980s that featured Chevy Chase in the leading role as Irwin "Fletch" Fletcher. In a new preview clip from the film, Hamm shares the scene with his former Mad Men co-star, John Slattery.

CONFESS, FLETCH | "Can You Pull Some Strings" Clip | Paramount Movies

Read more
The Outlaws season 2 review: no more funny business
The cast of The Outlaws gathers in a room, wearing their community service vests.

The first season of Amazon's The Outlaws had a bit of an identity crisis. Was it a serious thriller with silly characters or an ensemble comedy trying to be a crime drama?

Season 2 of The Outlaws has no such problem, and it delivers an increasingly tense, fast-paced conclusion to the lead characters' saga that's lighter on laughs but filled with strong performances and smart twists.

Read more