Cuba Gooding Jr. to Play O.J. Simpson in Ryan Murphy's 'American Crime Story'

The season isn't over yet for American Horror Story: Freak Show, but producer Ryan Murphy is already working on his next big FX project: American Crime Story, a 10-episode miniseries that dramatizes major true crime stories.

The first season of this new miniseries will focus on the O.J. Simpson trial, which came to be known as "The Trial of the Century" back in 1995, as the football star was accused of murdering his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her boyfriend, Ron Goldman. The story will be adapted from the book The Run of His Life: The People v. O.J. Simpson by Jeffrey Toobin.

But who will star in the series?

For the role of O.J. Simpson, Murphy has picked up an Oscar winner: Cuba Gooding Jr. will play the NFL star-turned-murder defendant. Meanwhile, Murphy is dipping back into his American Horror Story ensemble for the female lead, as Sarah Paulson will play lead prosecutor Marcia Clark.

There is no premiere date in place for American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson, but FX is confident the series will be another American Horror Story-sized hit, as it has received a straight-to-series order. Murphy will direct at least the series premiere, with the possibility of helming future episodes.

This series could be fascinating, if only because the non-fiction nature of the narrative could force Murphy to rein in his more outlandish storytelling sensibilities. Then again, this is a story that's so outlandish and sensational that he might not have to. Either way, I'm excited to see how this series comes along.

H/T: Entertainment Weekly

Credit: The Weinstein Company