FX just pulled the plug on one of Ryan Murphy’s most ambitious projects. The Beauty’s cast, including Ashton Kutcher, exits as the series faces an uncertain future following its first season.
Cast of The Beauty has been released, series future in doubt
FX has put The Beauty on pause after releasing the cast from their contracts, Deadline reports. As a result, the options on the cast of Ryan Murphy and Matthew Hodgson’s series have lapsed. The actors are now moving onto other projects following the development.
Notably, lead star Evan Peters currently films Season 13 of American Horror Story for FX and Murphy. Meanwhile, Rebecca Hall talks for the female lead in Netflix’s Dan Brown adaptation The Secret of Secrets. Additionally, Morgan Spector will play Robert Langdon opposite Hall in that project.
The Beauty follows FBI Agents Cooper Madsen and Jordan Bennett as they investigate a sexually transmitted virus. The virus transforms ordinary people into visions of physical perfection with terrifying consequences. Furthermore, Season 1 ended with a major cliffhanger as Cooper emerged from a cocoon after a transformation.
However, the show’s format does not necessarily prevent the series from continuing without its original cast. For instance, Jessica Alexander took over Hall’s character Jordan after the virus infected the character. Similarly, Hudson Barry also played a teen version of Cooper during the first season.
The sci-fi body horror series launched solidly in January and performed particularly well overseas. It did not sustain its momentum, though, as another Murphy FX series soon overshadowed it. Consequently, Love Story captured the cultural zeitgeist and drew attention away from The Beauty.
The series also stars Ashton Kutcher, Anthony Ramos and Jeremy Pope in key roles. In addition, Season 1 guest cast included Bella Hadid, Isabella Rossellini, Ben Platt and Vincent D’Onofrio. Murphy and Hodgson created and wrote the series, which is based on a comic book. Jeremy Haun and Jason A. Hurley created the original comic book series. 20th Television produces The Beauty, and there are currently no plans for Season 2.
