Michael Chernus Cast as John Wayne Gacy in DEVIL IN DISGUISE Series and Makes a Thoughtful Statement

Michael Chernus, best known for roles in Spider-Man: Homecoming, Orange is the New
Black, Ramy, and the Apple series Severance, has signed on to play the title serial killer in the Peacock limited drama series Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy.

Inspired by the NBC News Studios and Peacock docuseries, John Wayne Gacy: Devil in Disguise, the limited series is produced by UCP.

Per the official logline, the series “peels back the twisted layers of Gacy’s life while weaving in the heartrending stories of his mostly gay victims; exploring the grief, guilt, and trauma of their families and friends; and exposing the systemic failures, missed opportunities and societal prejudices that fueled his reign of terror.”

Between 1972 and 1978, Gacy murdered at least 33 young men and boys near Chicago, Illinois, “and no one was the wiser,” the series description reads. “Not for all those years. Why? He was charming and funny. Had a good, All-American job. Was a community leader. He even volunteered to entertain sick kids… while dressed as a clown.”

Chernus made the following statement about the project:

“I’m both excited and humbled by this opportunity. The direction that the writers are taking with this project is important, focusing on the victims and their families as well as those who finally brought John Wayne Gacy to justice.

While Gacy was the perpetrator of these horrific crimes, I’m relieved that he won’t be the main focus of the series. It’s heartbreaking for me to think of what his victims (all young men and boys) could have done with their lives had the system not failed them so tragically.

I believe in the power of storytelling and hope that by telling this story, in a thoughtful way, we can play some part in preventing this from ever happening again.”

Chernus and the streamer seem to be aware that the genre of serial killer stories are popular among viewers, but have been more scrutinized in recent years, depending on how the stories are told, and how much or little the focus is put on the killer versus the victim(s).

It sounds like they are taking a thoughtful approach to the story they will tell, and I look forward to checking it out.

via: Variety