Ryan Murphy’s ‘The Shards’ Series Casts Wes Bentley (EXCLUSIVE)
Wes Bentley is reuniting with Ryan Murphy in the FX series adaptation of “The Shards,” Variety has learned exclusively from sources.
Bentley will appear alongside previously announced cast members Kaia Gerber, Igby Rigney, Homer Gere, Graham Campbell, and Hayes Warner. The show is based on the book of the same name by Bret Easton Ellis.
According to sources, Bentley will play Terry, the father of Debbie, who will be played by Warner.
“The Shards,” a horror novel, centers a fictional serial killer in 1980s Los Angeles while incorporating semi-autobiographical details from Ellis’ upbringing. The novel’s official description via Penguin Random House imprint Knopf reads:
“17-year-old Bret is a senior at the exclusive Buckley prep school when a new student arrives with a mysterious past. Robert Mallory is
bright, handsome, charismatic and shielding a secret from Bret and his friends even as he becomes a part of their tightly knit circle. Bret’s obsession with Mallory is equaled only by his increasingly unsettling preoccupation with the Trawler, a serial killer on the loose who seems to be drawing ever closer to Bret and his friends, taunting them — and Bret in particular — with grotesque threats and horrific, sharply local acts of violence.”
Bentley has appeared in three seasons of Murphy’s “American Horror Story” franchise, with the most recent being the show’s sixth season in 2016. In television, he is best known for his starring role in the hit Paramount Network drama “Yellowstone,” in which he played Jamie Dutton across the show’s five seasons. Bentley is primarily known for his roles in films like “American Beauty,” “Interstellar,” and “The Hunger Games.”
He is repped by WME, Untitled, and Kopeikin Law P.C.
“The Shards” was first reported to be in the works at FX back in May, with FX ordering it to series in July. As reported at the time, Murphy is executive producing via Ryan Murphy Productions, while Max Winkler is attached to direct and executive produce. Ellis is also an executive producer, as are Nick Hall, Kathleen McCaffrey, and Brian Young. 20th TV will produce, with Murphy under an overall deal at the studio.