"Nurse Jackie" actress Edie Falco has been tapped to play the famed defense attorney Leslie Abramson in NBC's upcoming anthology "Law & Order: True Crime - The Menendez Murders." The four-time Emmy winner is returning to the small screen.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Falco has booked a leading role in Dick Wolf's "Law & Order: True Crime." Her character Abramson represented the Menendez brothers through the two trials. She claimed that they suffered a lifetime of abuse from their parents.
The eight-episode anthology series "Law & Order: True Crime" will focus on Lyle and Erik Menendez (21 and 18 years old, respectively, at the time) and will be called "The Menendez Murders," Deadline reported. In 1996, the brothers were later re-tried and convicted of two counts of first-degree murdering their parents and sentenced to life without parole after a mistrial and deadlocked juries.
In "The Menendez Murders," there was one trial but two separated juries, one for each brother. Their father Jose Menendez was accused of sexual abuse and was unusually cruel, while their mother Kitty Menendez was accused of being mentally unstable and a violent drug and alcohol abuser.
Longtime "Law & Order" executive producer Rene Balcer will pen the script of "The Menendez Murders" and executive produces alongside Wolf, Peter Jankowski, and Arthur W. Forney through Wolf Entertainment. The series hails from Wolf Entertainment and Universal Television, where the banner is under an overall deal.
"Law & Order: True Crime - The Menendez Murders" is among several projects currently in the works about the infamous murder case. Courtney Love recently signed on to play the role of Kitty Menendez in Lifetime's as-yet untitled original TV movie about the brothers. In addition, ABC News premiered a two-hour documentary special "Truth and Lies: The Menendez Brothers - American Sons, American Murderers" last month and HLN also an hour-long special "The Menendez Brothers: Murder In Beverly Hills The Aftermath" last month.
With the casting in "Law & Order: True Crime - The Menendez Murders," Falco will reunite with NBC Entertainment president Bob Greenblatt, who developed "Nurse Jackie" during his run at Showtime. Falco is represented by ICM Partners and Management 360.
Watch the video about Edie Falco casting in Menendez brothers series:
