‘Monster’ Season 2 Enlists Javier Bardem & Chloë Sevigny To Portray Menendez Parents

Javier Bardem and Chloë Sevigny have been tapped to star opposite Nicholas Chavez and Cooper Koch in Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, the second season of the acclaimed Netflix crime anthology Monster from creators Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan.

The pair will respectively play Jose and Kitty Menendez, the Beverly Hills couple murdered by sons Lyle (Chavez) and Erik (Koch). The new season comes on the heels of Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, which starred Evan Peters as the notorious serial killer and quickly became one of Netflix’s most popular English-language series ever when it debuted in September 2022.

It was in 1989 that Lyle and Erik Mendendez murdered parents Jose and Kitty in their L.A.-area home. Although not initially looked at as prime suspects, they came under investigation in the months following and eventually confessed to parricide, at the same time claiming that their actions stemmed from years of physical, emotional and sexual abuse at the hands of their father. Their first of two trials, broadcast on Court TV, had the nation in its grip, much like the 1994 trial of O.J. Simpson, and is believed to have played a part in the modern-day fascination with true crime.

The prosecution argued that the pair were in fact seeking to inherit their father’s multimillion-dollar estate, and the Mendendez brothers were convicted in 1996 and sentenced to life imprisonment, without the possibility of parole, though the case continues to unfold to this day. Last summer, Erik and Lyle filed documents in hopes of a new hearing, following former Menudo Menudo bandmember Roy Rosselló’s claim that he was molested by José Menendez at the age of 14.

Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story is one of two forthcoming seasons of the Monster anthology announced as of November 2022. The story at the center of the third chapter has not yet been revealed. In addition to the scripted series on the Mendendez brothers, Netflix has a feature doc on the duo in the works, brought to life with exclusive access to the subjects. Exec producers on Season 2 of Monster are Murphy, Brennan, Alexis Martin Woodall, Eric Kovtun, David McMillan, Louise Shore, and Carl Franklin.

Most recently portraying King Triton in Disney’s The Little Mermaid, Bardem will next be seen in Dune: Part Two, out March 1 following a strike-imposed delay, and Apple’s Formula 1 racing movie with Brad Pitt. He is repped by WME, agent José Marzilli in Spain, and Goodman, Genow, Schenkman.

Also recently in business with Murphy as one of the stars of Feud: Capote vs. The Swans, out January 31, Sevigny previously guest starred in the first season of Rian Johnson’s acclaimed murder mystery series Poker Face, starring Natasha Lyonne. Other recent projects include Luca Guadagnino’s Bones and All, as well as shows like The Girl from Plainville and Russian Doll. She is repped by WME and Circle of Confusion.