Why 'The Shards' Spent Years In Development Hell - And Why It's Perfect For Ryan Murphy
The Shards (2026), an adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis’ autofiction horror novel, is coming to FX and Disney+ in August. Its journey there has been anything but linear and straightforward. In fairness, that more complex production process has been a part of this project’s narrative from the beginning. For instance, well before The Shards became a printed book in 2023, it existed in a different format. It was originally told as a serialized audiobook on The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast on Patreon. That version of The Shards began in 2020 and ended a year later.
Alfred A. Knopf published Easton Ellis’ printed version of The Shards in January 2023. The book’s journey from page to screen started shortly after. It hit several setbacks and speed bumps before it eventually found TV producer Ryan Murphy. That partnership is what led to the current and final version of this story’s adaptation. It’s why FX describes the show as “a fusion of the voices of two of America’s most provocative storytellers,” in reference to Easton Ellis and Murphy. It also makes a whole lot of sense given the kinds of shows that Murphy produces.
'The Shards' And Its Journey To Becoming A TV Show
Just a couple of months after the book’s publication, Deadline exclusively reported that an adaptation of The Shards was in development at HBO. As of April 2023, Bret Easton Ellis was set to write on the drama series alongside executive producers Nick Hall and Brian Young. There were very few public updates after that until May 2024. That’s when Kristoffer Borgli joined the series as both an executive producer and a director, but there was nothing after.
The show’s development fell apart at HBO. In February 2025, The Hollywood Reporter exclusively provided a bit more insight about how it all unraveled. It seemed like things were really moving behind the scenes, as intentions for production grew from January 2024. Borgli was aboard the adaptation, and Euphoria’s (2019) Jacob Elordi “was said to be circling to star. But then, in September, it all blew up over creative differences.” Those creative differences aren’t really relevant to the general public. I imagine the shows we watch go through so many developmental stages and creative changes by the time we see the finished product.
That version of The Shards just wasn’t meant to be, for whatever reason that we won’t know. But clearly, this story was meant to be on TV in some form. In May 2025, Deadline exclusively reported that Ryan Murphy had sold an adaptation to FX, with Kaia Gerber set to star, Max Winkler directing, and Brett Easton Ellis executive producing. Reportedly, this news came after months of Murphy and Easton Ellis teaming up to adapt The Shards for TV. So, even then, this version of the show was in early development and took a while to get there. However, with Murphy’s name attached, things started to finally pick up for The Shards adaptation.
Ryan Murphy And 'The Shards' Go Well Together
By July 2025, FX had greenlit The Shards, adding Igby Rigney, Homer Gere, and Graham Campbell to the cast with Gerber. Just a little more than a year later, the show is about to premiere. Relatedly, I’d argue one of its most recent teasers displays why Ryan Murphy and his Ryan Murphy Productions, as well as 20th Television, are the ideal producers of this show. It’s saturated, scary, sexy, and sleek. It’s alluring and overdramatic and stylized. The Shards looks like a Ryan Murphy show that would live on FX, like The Beauty (2026), for example.
I’ve been aware of Ryan Murphy since Glee (2009) and later American Horror Story (2011). I’m familiar with the stories Murphy tends to gravitate toward, ones that get people talking. When All’s Fair’s (2025) trailer dropped, there was so much negative buzz around it, but it was still buzz. That show ended up being Hulu’s biggest scripted original debut in three years. Whether they were truly interested or wanted to see how it held up, people watched the show. Likewise, Murphy’s controversial Monster anthology series isn’t for me. Even so, I know its latest iteration, Monster: The Ed Gein Story (2025), is in awards conversations and pulled in more than 12 million views. At this point, Murphy’s name draws people in as much as his niche does.
Murphy, whose shows explore, for better or worse, themes like desire, privilege, and how they intersect with horror, makes him a creative match for the adaptation of Brett Easton Ellis’ book. After all, FX describes The Shards as a navigation through “identity, sex, jealousy, obsession and the dangers lurking beneath the surface of American adolescence.” Both Easton Ellis and Murphy’s names are likely to draw in audiences who know this story and are new to it. I’d bet that The Shards will be just as buzzy in pop culture conversations as Murphy’s other shows. Also, more broadly, the man who wrote American Psycho (2000) pairing up with Ryan Murphy makes sense if you ask me.
The Shards premieres on Thursday, August 6, on Disney+.
