The story of Monica Lewinsky was one of the chapters in American history of political scandals and media sensationalism that Ryan Murphy considered adapting for (one of) his FX anthology series. A little over a year ago, Murphy optioned Jeff Toobins’ book on Lewinsky and former president Bill Clinton, titled A Vast Conspiracy. The Feud creator had already dramatized Toobins’ book, The Run Of His Life, in the acclaimed inaugural season of American Crime Story, and sought to bring the Clinton impeachment hearings to the small screen at some point after The Assassination Of Gianni Versace and/or a season on Hurricane Katrina.
But now the American [Blank] Story mastermind says he’s decided not to move forward with the Lewinsky tale. It’s not a matter of scheduling, either; Murphy tells The Hollywood Reporter he was having second thoughts about the adaptation. When he ran into Lewinsky at a party, he realized “‘Nobody should tell your story but you, and it’s kind of gross if they do.’” So Murphy told Lewinsky, “‘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.’” There’s no word on whether Lewinsky took him up on the production offer, but Murphy’s already getting to work on an eighth season of American Horror Story, as well as more Feud.