As the true crime train continues to roll on through the world of pop culture, the casting of each project could make or break the entire endeavor no matter how good the writing is, or the newsworthiness of the actual crime itself was. That’s why each choice for one of the many upcoming Menendez Brothers movies and TV series is so intriguing, as one loose thread (or one embarrassingly miscast brother) could pull the whole thing apart and turn it from a People vs. OJ Simpson hopeful to a footnote on the long list of ill-advised true crime adaptations.
So it’s with that in mind that Lifetime’s casting of Nico Tortorella (currently starring on Younger) as Lyle and Myko Olivier (who had a short stint on Glee) as Erik finds itself intensely scrutinized. For those unfamiliar with the highly publicized and televised case, the brothers murdered their parents in their home in 1989 and were convicted of the crime in 1994, being sentenced to life without parole. Throughout the trial, allegations of abuse were raised and intense media attention swirled around the horrific crime on a daily basis.
While these castings aren’t too egregious in the looks department, they also aren’t dead ringers for Lyle and Erik, respectively. Which is par for the course with Lifetime, honestly, so absolutely the least of the network’s problems when it comes to pulling this movie off. It will be more important to not disrespect those who were murdered — although Courtney Love is playing their mother in the movie — than adhering to the utmost accuracy of the look and feel of the situation.
(via Variety)
