Ryan Murphy’s The Shards adaptation diverges after HBO turnaround
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Ryan Murphy’s FX adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis’s The Shards reportedly follows the novel closely in its first two episodes but diverges sharply thereafter, adding a porn-industry storyline and a musical sequence. The changes reflect the project’s troubled development: it was originally developed at HBO with Ellis writing, before creative disagreements and cost-cutting led to Murphy acquiring the rights.
HBO secured the rights while Ellis was releasing the story as podcast instalments in 2020 and 2021, and was reportedly considering a budget exceeding $100 million. After the project entered turnaround in late 2024, Murphy retained Ellis’s first two scripts with limited alterations but expanded the story in later episodes; FX reportedly budgeted episodes at about $8 million each. Ellis remains credited as co-developer, executive producer and co-writer of the opening episodes, but sources say he has had little meaningful involvement in production.
- Murphy preserved the opening before reshaping later episodes.
- HBO dropped the costly project after creative differences.
- Ellis reportedly has limited involvement despite his credits.
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The Shards is a novel by Bret Easton Ellis, set in Los Angeles in 1981. It follows a teenage version of Ellis and his wealthy school friends as fear grows over a serial killer known as the Trawler.
Ryan Murphy is a television producer known for dramas including Glee, American Horror Story and The People v. O. J. Simpson. He is adapting the book for FX, the US television network, after the project was first developed by HBO.
The adaptation has drawn attention because Ellis was initially closely involved in writing it, while Murphy later took control of the project. Differences between a book’s author and a screen adaptation’s producers can affect how much of the original story, characters and tone remains on screen.
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Originally published by The Hollywood Reporter as “How ‘The Shards’ Blew Up at HBO — and Ended Up in Ryan Murphy’s Hands”.