In previous seasons of Ryan Murphy‘s Monster on Netflix, we’ve seen major names take on the roles of despicable characters. Season 3 saw Charlie Hunnam embrace the identity of Ed Gein, while the debut season focused on Evan Peters as Jeffrey Dahmer, with that performance even scoring the actor a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Limited Series, Anthology Series, or Television Motion Picture. For the most recent season, though, Murphy broke a trend by not only delivering the series’ first season focusing on a female character, but he also enlisted a relative newcomer as the show’s anchor.
In Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story, Ella Beatty plays the titular character who was accused of killing her parents with an axe. The success of the series and the impending awards season will elevate Beatty’s notoriety to new levels, and she already has one new release in the works.
As confirmed by Variety, Beatty’s new movie Act One has secured distribution from Oscilloscope Laboratories. The movie was directed by Sophia Takal (Black Christmas) and also stars Ari Graynor. You can see a first look at the movie at the top of the page, with Act One set to hit theaters in 2027.
The outlet describes the movie, “Act One follows Hannah (Beatty) as she joins an elite acting studio led by its magnetic founder, Melanie (Graynor) … Drawn to Melanie’s intensity and increasingly extreme methods, Hannah throws herself into the work. But as dedication turns to obsession and the lines between performance, desire and manipulation blur, she is pulled into a dangerous game that tests how far she’ll go to become the artist she wants to be.”
Also starring in the movie are Sinclair Daniel (Insidious: The Red Door), Tavi Gevinson (Gossip Girl), Elizabeth Reaser (Twilight), and Robert Sean Leonard (House).
“I’m thrilled Oscilloscope is releasing Act One,” Takal shared in a statement. “Getting to work with them again after Always Shine feels like a homecoming. It’s heartening to know there are people out there with the taste, nerve and good sense to champion movies like ours. I can’t wait for audiences to see the incredible work of all the talented people who made this film!”
Takal also directed the “New Year, New You” installment of Hulu‘s Into the Dark series, and also starred in the “Second Honeymoon” segment of the original V/H/S. The segment was directed by Ti West and also starred Joe Swanberg and Kate Lyn Sheil.
Stay tuned for details on the release of Act One.
Are you looking forward to the new movie? Let us know in the comments below!