Cuba Gooding Jr To Play OJ Simpson in the Upcoming Miniseries Produced by Ryan Murphy
The upcoming 10-episode miniseries about OJ Simpson's controversial prosecution for the murder of his former wife Nicole Brown Simpson and waiter Ronald Goldman will be produced by Glee creator, Ryan Murphy. The miniseries will be titled, American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson and will be headlined by Academy award winner Cuba Gooding Jr playing as the former NFL football player, OJ Simpson. The 46-year-old actor will be supported by Sarah Paulson who will portray prosecutor Marcia Clark.
Murphy is the producer and creator of the horror TV series, American Horror Story, where Paulson also stars.
The upcoming series will mark Murphy's first installment FX anthology series that will feature true crime stories and will chronicle the 1995 murder trial of Simpson.
In a press release, American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson "is a look at the O.J. Simpson trial told from the perspective of the lawyers that explores the chaotic behind-the-scenes dealings and maneuvering on both sides of the court, and how a combination of prosecution confidence, defense willingness, and the LAPD's history with the city's African-American community gave a jury what it needed: reasonable doubt," according to US weekly.
In 1995, Simpson was acquitted of the murder after a lengthy and internationally publicized criminal trial. In 1997, a civil court awarded a judgment against Simpson for the wrongful deaths of Brown and Goldman and as of 2007 he has paid little of the $33.5 million judgment.
Nina Jacobson, Brad Simpson (The Hunger Games, Diary of a Wimpy Kid) and Brad Falchuck, will join Murphy as executive producers. Falchuck also co-created American Horror Story and Glee.
On the other hand, Gooding Jr stars in the upcoming historical drama film, Selma that will be shown Christmas day for a limited release. The Bronx-born talented actor will star as one of the negroes in the upcoming document adaptation of the Book of Negroes, a historical document which records names and descriptions of 3,000 African-American slaves who escaped to the British lines during the American Revolution.