An O.J. Simpson movie, covering his murder trial, is underway at FOX. The network announced Wednesday that they were making the factual miniseries, based on the book by Jeffrey Toobin. MSN reports the story on Wednesday, March 20.
The filming plans to take viewers behind the scenes “of a courtroom thriller,” says FOX, using Toobin’s book, “The Run of His Life: The People v. O.J. Simpson,” as its factual basis. The FOX series will portray “The Trial of the Century,” presenting the story as its own, “nonstop plot,” and it will use facts and real characters to carry through the entire, dramatic trial.
Another, unrelated project is going on at FOX, and the seemingly separate stories actually seem to mesh. FOX is doing a remake of the entire “Shogun” series written by James Clavell – which originally starred Richard Chamberlain in a televised miniseries
“These are both epic stories -- one fiction, one fact -- that have captivated millions of people worldwide,” said Shana C. Waterman, a senior vice president at the network. “They're riveting and emotional, with unique historic backdrops that lend themselves to the high-quality, dramatic event series we're looking to make.”
Shogun tells the fictional tale of a Japanese warlord, when the country was a closed society of samurai, and of the American adventurer who ventured inside. It is something of a match to the currently-running “Game of Thrones” on HBO – although with far less sex. If FOX can pull off both projects successfully, they will take a giant leap forward in the ratings game.
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