After the conclusion of Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, Netflix is back with another compelling project about the notorious brothers — a true-crime documentary titled The Menendez Brothers. As both pieces of content seem to be centered around them, many people are wondering if the movie is related to the Monsters series.
Here is everything you need to know about the connection between the series and the documentary, if there is any.
Is Netflix’s The Menendez Brothers movie related to Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story?
No, Netflix’s The Menendez Brothers movie and Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story are not related to each other, but they tell a similar story with many differences.
Both The Menendez Brothers movie and Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story have been produced by Netflix. This added to the speculation among fans that the film and series might have some connection. While the story for both projects revolves around the Menendez brothers, there is a difference.
The series created by Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan presented a live-action and dramatized version of the brothers’ real life who were convicted of their parents’ murders. Actors Cooper Koch and Nicholas Alexander Chavez played the roles of Erik and Lyle Menendez, respectively.
However, the show ended up inviting a lot of criticism and controversies. Erik Menendez released a statement through his wife Tammi Menendez’s X account, bashing the show for its “horrible and blatant lies.” Additionally, he slammed the series for the “vile and appalling character portrayals” of him and his brother Lyle Menendez.
On the other hand, The Menendez Brothers is a true-crime documentary taking a realistic approach to the complicated case. The film features the brothers telling their story from their own perspective. In the documentary, they revisit the trial after 30 years which sparked discussions across the world. It features extensive audio interviews with the duo, the lawyers involved in the trial, and the journalists who covered the case, along with jurors, family members, and observers offering their opinions on the case. (via The Hollywood Reporter)
Directed by critically acclaimed filmmaker Alejandro Hartmann, the documentary film aims to offer a new perspective on the case that seemingly has been kept away from the limelight.
