Right now, two of the hottest tickets in Hollywood are video game and comic book adaptations. Everyone wants a piece, whether it’s The Last of Us, Twisted Metal, The Umbrella Academy, or Watchmen. The fact remains that copious amounts of stories are ripe for adaptations, and Ryan Murphy‘s got his sights on Image Comics’ The Beauty, created by Jeremy Haun and Jason A. Hurley. FX is giving Ryan Murphy’s The Beauty a series order, with Evan Peters, Anthony Ramos, Ashton Kutcher, and Jeremy Pope attached to star.
Murphy and Matt Hodgson co-created, wrote, and executive-produced the 11-episode season, which begins production this fall. Peters, Ramos, and Pope executive produced it. While details about the series remain a mystery, the official synopsis for The Beauty Vol. 1 reads:
“Imagine a sexually transmitted disease that makes those infected better looking… a disease people want. That disease is real, and it’s called the Beauty. Two years after the Beauty burst onto the scene, over half of America is infected. Now, it looks like the downside may be far worse than anyone suspected. Detectives Drew Vaughn and Kara Foster find themselves on the front line of the battle against the Beauty, embroiled in a conspiracy they never knew existed.”
According to Deadline, The Beauty calls for a male and female lead, which makes sense if you’ve read the comic book series. The hunt is on for a female lead to play Detective Kara Foster, while Evan Peters will likely play Detective Drew Vaughn. Kutcher’s involvement with the series began before the recent arrest and indictment of Sean “Diddy” Combs on charges of sex trafficking and racketeering. Analysts expect Combs’ case to worsen for the music industry mogul as more information comes to light. One aspect of the case putting the public on edge concerns those known to travel inside Combs’ orbit. Kutcher has had a long relationship with Combs, but authorities do not suspect him of wrongdoing.
Murphy and Hodgson have plenty of material to pull from Haun and Hurley’s six-volume series. The Beauty is a disturbing look at modern beauty standards, the urgency of preventing sexually transmitted diseases, and the lengths people will go to gain acceptance from a judgemental society. I highly recommend reading the series while Murphy and his team focus on bringing the story to life for FX audiences.