Ryan Murphy reveals why The Shards was the perfect story for him to adapt

For Ryan Murphy, adapting The Shards was more than just turning a bestseller into a TV adaptation.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Murphy, famous for American Horror Story and Love Story, said that he always wanted to make a project based on something Bret Easton Ellis wrote. The novel was published in 2023, and the series was released three years later on August 5, 2026.

Giving more details about his pitch to Bret Easton Ellis on adapting his novel into an FX series, Ryan Murphy said that despite being asked for years to tell his own story, he never felt ready. But he realized that 1981, when the book takes place, was a big year in his own life, as it was when he turned sixteen and experienced many firsts. Murphy explained that The Shards felt like a perfect story for him to adapt because of the time period and the characters, whom he understood.

Ryan Murphy opens up about his personal connection to The Shards

The Shards follows the lives of four rich teenagers, Bret Easton Ellis (Igby Rigney), Thom Wright (Graham Campbell), Susan Reynolds (Kaia Gerber), and Debbie Schaffer (Hayes Warner). Susan is the girlfriend of Thom, and Bret is in a relationship with Debbie. While everything was going great in the lives of four close friends, it takes a turn after the entry of Robert Mallory (Homer Gere), whose true intentions leave Bret unsure.

Robert enters the story around the same time the serial killer 'The Trawler' starts hunting teens, which makes his real identity very suspicious. While Robert is pretty friendly with Thom, Susan, and Debbie, he shares a different equation with Bret, who believes Robert is lying and has ulterior motives. On the other hand, Robert seems to be liking this cat-and-mouse chase, as he keeps intriguing Bret at times in the first two episodes.

Along with their equation, viewers also see the 1980s vibes with the grainy visuals in the series, where the group talks about intimacy, love, and pressures while having secrets of their own.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Ryan Murphy revealed that he wanted to bring the project to life in a way Bret Easton Ellis would appreciate. And since they were around the same age, he approached him with genuine passion, while opening up about his personal connection to The Shards, saying that in 1981, he turned sixteen, had many of his firsts, including his first date and driving lesson.

Murphy explained that he connected with Bret's struggle of living between different identities and what it felt like to hide one side of yourself while showing another, something he understood from his own experiences. Since he had lived through a similar time, he knew the clothes, music, and references from the book, which helped him connect better.

Along with explaining his personal connection to the story, Murphy also praised Ellis for giving him creative freedom while still being available whenever the team needed guidance. The creator also shared the moment when they showed the first two completed episodes to Bret and his team, revealing that he was very happy with the adaptation.

The first two episodes of The Shards are available to stream on Hulu.

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Also Read: The Shards cast open up about going back to the '80s, the American Gigolo influence and more

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