It was solely final week that Netflix introduced they had been readying to launch a documentary with the Menendez brothers, a challenge that may characteristic Erik and Lyle Menendez talking for the primary time in a long time concerning the sensational double homicide that sentenced them every to life in jail again in 1996.
The announcement got here solely days after Netflix’s scripted collection on the brothers — Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story — had grow to be the No. 1 present on the streamer, which prompted a uncommon public assertion from Erik Menendez, who got here out towards that tackle the brothers’ 1996 murders of their dad and mom, José and Mary Louise “Kitty” Menendez. Amid the whirlwind two weeks of press since Monsters first launched — the place producer Ryan Murphy and the prolonged Menendez household have additionally shared their views on the collection in a public discussion board — Kim Kardashian visited the brothers in jail after which advocated for his or her launch in a viral op-ed.
Now, within the newest flip of occasions within the case, following a habeas corpus petition filed by the brothers in 2023, Los Angeles County District Lawyer George Gascón introduced Thursday night time that their case was once more underneath assessment, paving the way in which for the brothers to be presumably retried, resentenced to a lesser time period and even launched.
All of this, in the meantime, is now coming simply forward of Monday’s The Menendez Brothers documentary.
The producers on the almost two-hour doc, Ross Dinerstein and Rebecca Evans of Campfire Studios, are not any stranger to high-profile initiatives, having been behind latest hit choices like Netflix’s American Homicide: Laci Peterson and America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, in addition to Max’s Low Nation: The Murdaugh Dynasty, to title just a few.
However their expertise with this Menendez second is completely different.
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After engaged on one thing so lengthy, and to see this all form of explode within the information the week of premiere, have you ever skilled this with different initiatives earlier than?
ROSS DINERSTEIN I imply no, we haven’t. We’re excited for it to come out. I want we may drop it as we speak. We’ve labored on this for nearly 4 years. We’re actually pleased with it. So many individuals have reached out about it, to ask when it’s popping out. And Netflix has already carried out such an awesome job selling it on the service.
REBECCA EVANS This story has stayed form of out and in of the zeitgeist over the previous 30 years. Having been in it so deeply, we all know each single one that is speaking about it on-line, of their books, what they’re doing. And so to have all of it come out actually publicly is fairly fascinating, and fairly thrilling, to be trustworthy, too, as a result of our documentary actually lays out all our analysis. I’m excited for folks to view it and are available to their very own conclusions.
Is there any likelihood Netflix could launch it earlier than Monday?
DINERSTEIN We do not know.
Let’s return – when was the seed for this documentary planted? Who approached whom and when?
EVANS How we began with researching and making the documentary ourselves was actually feeling like we had to get one or each of the brothers on board so as to inform their story. It doesn’t really feel proper to inform their story with out their enter and with out them being part of it, when it comes to a documentary particularly. For those who have a look at Campfire’s slate, we’re very adamant at ensuring we’re getting the important thing events on board. And so I began with Lyle, simply reaching out through a letter. And I received one again. After which really, his spouse, Rebecca [Sneed], was good sufficient to attain out to me to then facilitate a cellphone name — as a result of I can’t name the jail, I’ve to have them name me. And so we began speaking with Lyle, and form of received the ball rolling. And it was a few yr after that that Erik got here on board.
In these early conversations, what had been some hesitations or issues when Lyle heard your pitch?
EVANS We had only a very trustworthy and open dialog from the get-go. I can’t actually converse for him. It’s his story to inform. And he has no actual qualms about it as a result of he is aware of what occurred.
DINERSTEIN Our firm, Campfire, has an excellent fame. We did a present referred to as The Harmless Man with Netflix and John Grisham, which in the end was a giant a part of somebody being launched from jail. And so I feel the truth that it’s an organization like ours with the credibility and fame, [Lyle] may not pay attention to it, however I’m certain folks in his life are.
4 years in the past once you first began on this challenge, the #MeToo shift had already occurred and the tradition of silence was breaking. I’m unsure how a lot the Menendez brothers may really feel that whereas in jail, however what about that point interval received the ball rolling for them to need to converse out?
EVANS They’re conscious of what’s happening on the skin. And they’re conscious that persons are extra fascinated by their story now greater than ever. They’re conscious that in COVID, Courtroom TV launched their complete trial, which actually kickstarted curiosity once more. And I feel as we speak, persons are taking a look at circumstances like this, circumstances of abuse, differently. So it was a possibility to inform their story, each for us and for them, in a special time when persons are eager about issues in a different way. It’s slightly bit reflective, too, of the case and the trial again then of how folks had been feeling like they had been on two completely different sides of what to imagine.
When Erik then joined your conversations, I’m certain this challenge felt extra actual. Having already been by way of the appeals course of — and so they discuss within the documentary about dropping hope — what did they need to accomplish with this? The place was their mindset? And, was something off-limits?
EVANS We’ve a companion podcast that’s going to launch on Wednesday [Menendez Brothers Official Podcast], two days after the documentary comes out. It’s with our director Alejandro [Hartmann] and Lyle and Erik, and it actually solutions a few of these questions on what them in doing this, why they needed to inform their story, how they really feel about all the pieces. I feel it is going to be a extremely good alternative when folks watch the documentary who need to hear extra from them and the solutions to these questions.
Within the 4 years because you’ve been making this, are you able to pinpoint a second when the advocacy marketing campaign and the TikTok motion round them actually began to take off?
EVANS I feel that it’s nice to have folks wanting to discuss their story, and there are people who find themselves form of preventing on their behalf. However actually, all of it has come down to their legal professionals greater than something, and the way they’re coping with the brand new proof, how they’re coping with the brand new habeas petition. That’s the place I really feel just like the crux of the combat is de facto taking place.
DINERSTEIN Concerning the TikTok motion, in the course of the pandemic they aired the primary trial, and the primary trial was a hung jury. It was not one thing {that a} jury of their friends was ready to convict them on, and it was virtually retried for an entire new technology in actual time, and folks had been very emotional about it.
A key second within the documentary is listening to one of many jurors within the second trial describing in easy phrases the alternatives they’d since manslaughter was off the desk the second time round. He stated they’d to determine: Was there a homicide or not? And he stated they couldn’t say {that a} homicide didn’t occur. [They were convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole in 1996.]
DINERSTEIN Andrew Wolfberg, [that juror], his spouse is one in every of my spouse’s superb associates. So I had been speaking with Andrew at dinner events for years about these things. And Andrew had simply handed the bar himself when he received placed on that jury, so he took his job very severely. And I requested him, I feel throughout only a chat, did you ever watch the primary trial? He stated, “I didn’t need to — I spent four months in a jury box.”
The place is Choose Stanley M. Weisberg now, did you attain out to [the judge in the Menendez trials] or have any conversations?
EVANS We did attain out. He’s 80 years outdated now. I feel his daughter is taking up issues. However there was no dialog to be had with him.
In your expertise making this, and looking out again on the selections Choose Weisberg made within the second trial, like not permitting their sexual abuse protection, do you suppose that would occur if the trial had been as we speak?
EVANS I don’t know. I don’t suppose I can actually converse for the authorized system, however I feel you’ll see in our documentary, we do have loads of themes of how and why it may need turned out the way in which it did.
Sure, the documentary units the scene of that point — the O.J. Simpson acquittal and Rodney King riots being within the close to background of the second Menendez trial — and the way the world is now at a spot the place male sexual abuse survivors are believed. Why do you suppose that is the appropriate time to launch this doc?
EVANS On condition that they’re at the moment in the course of a habeas — and it may very well be their final alternative, they’re out of appeals — it may very well be their final alternative to have one thing actually change for them. It seems like fascinating timing given they’re within the information. And since they’re within the information and due to Monsters, persons are fascinated by what their story is. We’ve carried out all of the analysis, we put all of it collectively, and also you’ll hear from them straight.
DINERSTEIN You realize, the doc is completed. We’re actually pleased with it, it’s actually good. And it’s time to come out.
How did you retain this doc so underneath wraps? It was solely introduced a pair weeks in the past, as Monsters was topping Netflix. Although I perceive that your doc and Monsters had been made utterly separate from each other and should not companion collection.
DINERSTEIN That’s proper, this isn’t a companion to Monsters. We simply need to make sure that to say that.
EVANS Like all of our different documentaries, it wasn’t a companion in any manner, and so for us, it was nearly releasing this nice story that we spent the time placing collectively within the final 4 years. It actually wasn’t any completely different by way of maintaining it underneath wraps. And clearly, Netflix runs a decent ship, so no matter they are saying goes!
DINERSTEIN In no matter we do, hardly ever is there any form of announcement for the beginning of manufacturing. It’s not how Netflix markets. It’s rather a lot higher than saying you’re in manufacturing and it then comes out 4 years later.
The choice to launch this so quickly after Monsters I assume was a Netflix determination. Do you help that?
DINERSTEIN We’re very pleased with that call. Netflix is aware of what they’re doing. They’re the most effective within the enterprise when it comes to launching initiatives, so we’ve got no difficulty with it.
EVANS As filmmakers, all you actually need is for folks to watch what you set your coronary heart, soul and power into, and it actually is ideal timing as a result of persons are at an all-time excessive in wanting to perceive their story.
Simply as I completed screening this documentary, the actual information cycle caught up when Los Angeles prosecutors, on Thursday night time, introduced they had been reviewing new proof within the Menendez case and set a listening to date for Nov. 29. The habeas petition was filed in 2023. Did you might have an concept there can be motion the week of your doc premiere?
EVANS We didn’t know there can be any press conferences or something this week. However we’ve got recognized concerning the November date. It’s all nonetheless underneath assessment, so final night time wasn’t any new data for me, really. It’s simply persevering with to be reviewed. The habeas was filed in 2023, and so for us, after we had been making the documentary, we felt like, we’re not right here to litigate a case. We’re not right here to current proof, or new proof in that manner, alongside the attorneys. Our feeling was that this was a narrative that befell then, and this was all of our analysis on it. It didn’t really feel prefer it modified our perspective on what occurred then to embrace any of that now if that is smart.
When did you wrap manufacturing?
EVANS Some time in the past. Possibly a yr in the past. And we spent actually a yr modifying, making an attempt to work out one of the simplest ways to inform this story. As a result of it’s distinctive that the brothers are calling in, and it’s over audio, so we actually had to work out how to inform that story in an efficient manner, since audiences aren’t used to that. We had been actually targeted on telling the story and maintaining it up to pace in regard to cultural modifications since then.
The Peacock documentary the place Menudo band member Rosselló got here ahead with a sexual abuse allegation towards José Menendez got here out a month earlier than the Menendez brothers filed their habeas petition. That allegation isn’t included in your doc. Did you concentrate on together with it?
EVANS I felt like, that is Erik and Lyle’s story. It’s probably not a narrative concerning the different man within the Menudo case. I feel these are issues audiences will find out about in litigation and the information, however we actually needed to concentrate on the brothers.
Do you intend to replace the ultimate title card within the doc with Thursday’s growth?
EVANS We’ll see concerning the title card. We had no intentions of adjusting it, however we clearly didn’t know the press convention was going to be final night time. Audiences have a greater understanding now of what the dialog is, so it will simply be basically reiterating what we have already got. So, we’ll see.
How in contact have you ever been with Erik and Lyle?
EVANS We had been actually in contact in the course of the entirety of the method, and fortunately their wives are additionally tremendous useful. Now that the documentary has been carried out filming for the final yr, I’ve actually simply been in contact with the wives; logistical data and passing alongside messages, that form of stuff. I visited them after we first received this working, and I might love to return now that we’ve lastly completed the movie. We’re undoubtedly nonetheless pleasant.
Have they seen the ultimate movie?
EVANS Unclear. We’ve shared it with household, although. Clearly, there are boundaries for what’s out there to them, so I’m probably not certain. However they converse to their wives usually sufficient.
While you see Kim Kardashian writing an op-ed on their behalf, after visiting them, what does that inform you concerning the cultural motion that’s now behind them, in contrast to the previous you explored within the doc?
DINERSTEIN It’s thrilling. Kim has an enormous platform and an enormous viewers. Having her converse on their behalf, and I’m certain she’ll say one thing concerning the documentary when she sees it… we do that in order many individuals as potential can see it, and we hope the viewers watches it and comes to their very own conclusion.
EVANS And we hope Kim watches it. We might love for her to test it out. There’s much more to get out of it.
Do you anticipate you’ll discuss to Erik and Lyle when the documentary is out? As a result of I’m questioning concerning the hope they’ve now. Such as you stated, the habeas may very well be their final likelihood, and I think about they’ve a difficult relationship with hope in spite of everything these years.
DINERSTEIN I can converse to the opposite doc we did with prisoners who’re in jail for all times, [Netflix’s The Innocent Man]. They at all times stated to me that they at all times have hope, as a result of it will get them away from bed each day. However we’ve by no means actually requested Erik and Lyle about it.
EVANS I undoubtedly plan to be in contact after it comes out, as soon as I see the reception of it. I’m very curious to see what audiences suppose and the way they’re feeling after watching it, particularly since so many people who find themselves tuning in don’t actually know the story in any respect.
Have you ever watched Monsters?
DINERSTEIN We haven’t.
Do you are interested in watching, contemplating it’s contributing a lot to the cultural dialog?
DINERSTEIN Yeah there simply actually just isn’t sufficient time in our schedules proper now to watch it. It’s lengthy, and we’ve simply had our heads down making our challenge and ensuring it will get out to the world within the correct manner.
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The Menendez Brothers documentary streams on Netflix on Oct. 7. Verify again in with THR for extra with Dinerstein and Evans after the doc releases, and skim extra of our protection on the Menendez brothers.
