Aaron Hernandez’s life story will be told through a new prism.
It was revealed on Friday that The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes star Josh Andrés Rivera will play an NFL athlete in a new FX anthology series titled American sports story. IndieWire first broke the casting news.
American Horror Story Co-creator Ryan Murphy will executive produce the television show, which was first announced in August 2021.
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Rivera (28) will play young Hernandez in the new series.
Josh Andres Rivera.
Eric Charbonneau/Shutterstock
Rivera “stole the role,” said producer Nina Jacobson IndieWire.
“He is well-grounded, likable, natural and persuasive, super prepared. I was thrilled when they brought a bunch of people and let Josh climb to the top, which I knew he would. And we had him tattooed all over. He was trained to be huge and muscular; he loved to lift weights,” said Fr story from the west side actor.
The series is based on The Boston Globe and the Wondery podcast Gladiator: Aaron Hernandez and Football Inc.
After overcoming a troubled childhood, Hernandez saw success as a tight end for the New England Patriots. During his time at the University of Florida, Hernandez reports with Tim Tebow, who will be played by Patrick Schwarzenegger Diversity.
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Patrick Schwarzenegger, Tim Tebow.
Amy Sussman/Getty; Jeff Zelevansky/Getty
American sports storyThe first season will take a deep dive into Hernandez’s life in today’s world and through multiple perspectives.
His downfall came when he was convicted of the murder of Odin Lloyd in 2013. Hernandez was also charged with the double murder of Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado in 2012, but was acquitted at trial in 2017. The professional athlete died on April 19, 2017 by suicide at the age of 27 while in prison.
The family of murder victim Aaron Hernandez reacted to his suicide: ‘This is God’s will’
“I don’t think a lot of people understand the hard work and discipline that Aaron had to do to become so successful,” his attorney Jose Baez told PEOPLE just three days before his death. “He worked very hard to get where he was, and he overcame a lot of odds to get there.”
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Aaron Hernandez.
Otto Greule Jr/Getty
Former University of Florida classmate Katie Benson Sears reflected on Hernandez’s impact as a college athlete.
“Aaron stood out, even among the football players,” Sears said in 2017. “You have to understand that the Gator football players were gods here. They weren’t just big men on campus; they were known in the community. When they went to restaurants, the owners would want to take pictures of them. Children would come to get autographs.”
“Aaron walked around the campus and the town like he owned it,” she added.
When American sports story was announced, FX president John Landgraf said in a statement that when Murphy, 57, shared the idea, “we immediately jumped at the chance.”
Dana Walden, President of Walt Disney Television Entertainment, added, “More than ten years ago, Ryan Murphy expressed interest in expanding American Horror Story model to say otherwise American stories, which have occupied many of us for a long time. It was a brilliant idea. Adding these new installments to the franchise will allow Ryan, Brad [Falchuk]Nina [Jacobson] and Brad [Simpson] and their talented teams to tackle exciting stories outside of the horror and crime genres.”
Another franchise spin-off, American love storywill follow the romance of John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy.
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