FX and “Glee” co-creator Ryan Murphy’s upcoming miniseries, “American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson” has cast Cuba Gooding Jr. and Sarah Paulson in key roles.
The first 10-episode installment of the anthology series will follow the O.J. Simpson trial and is based on the Jeffrey Toobin book, “The Run of His Life: The People v. O.J. Simpson.”
Gooding Jr. will play Simpson, who was on trial for the murders of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and waiter Ronald Lyle Goldman, in June 1994.
Paulson will play the trial’s prosecutor Marcia Clark.
Gooding Jr. won an Oscar for “Jerry Maguire” in 1996 and starred in films “As Good as It Gets,” “Men of Honor,” “American Gangster,” “Red Tails” “Selma” and “Lee Daniels‘ The Butler.” His TV credits include “Hill Street Blues,” MacGyver,” TV movie “Summoned” and the upcoming Comedy Central series “Big Time in Hollywood, FL.”
Paulson stars in FX’s “American Horror Story: Freak Show” as “Bette Tattler/Dot Tattler.” Paulson has also starred on HBO’s 2012 TV movie “Game Change,” and 2006 NBC comedy series “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.” Her film credits include Steve McQueen‘s “12 Years a Slave,” “Mud” and “Martha Marcy May Marlene.”
“American Crime Story” will be directed by Murphy (“American Horror Story,” “Glee”), who will also executive produce along with Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson (“The Hunger Games”), Brad Falchuk (“Glee,” “American Horror Story,” co-created with Murphy) and Dante Di Loreto.
The first two hours of the miniseries will be written by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski, who will also earn exec producer credits.
Production begins early next year in Los Angeles. It is produced by FXP and Fox 21, the companies that co-produce “Sons of Anarchy.”
UTA represents Paulson and ICM reps Gooding jr.