Ryan Murphy's American Sports Story: Lead Actor Revealed After 2 Years of Development
Ryan Murphy's American Sports Story has finally found its lead actor after a lengthy 2-year development period The highly-anticipated show will delve into the intriguing life of Aaron Hernandez, offering a dramatic portrayal of his story
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American Sports Story is the latest anthology show from Ryan Murphy, known for his hit series American Horror Story and American Crime Story.
In the upcoming season 1 of American Sports Story, the spotlight will be on the intriguing narratives surrounding Aaron Hernandez, the ex-football player who was found guilty of murder. Josh Andrés Rivera has been cast as Aaron Hernandez, while Patrick Schwarzenegger will portray Tim Tebow.
American Sports Story has gathered its main cast members. The upcoming FX series, which portrays real stories from the sports world, is the newest American anthology produced by Ryan Murphy, the co-creator of American Horror Story. Murphy, known for his innovative approach, has created a string of similar shows with separate storylines each season, revolving around various themes. These include American Crime Story, Feud, and the popular Netflix series Monster, which focuses on infamous murderers such as Dahmer.
According to Variety, the lead actors for the first season of American Sports Story have been confirmed, although their casting was kept under wraps due to the ongoing Screen Actors Guild strike. Josh Andrés Rivera has been selected to portray Aaron Hernandez, the football player for the New England Patriots who was convicted of murdering his friend, Odin Lloyd. Additionally, Patrick Schwarzenegger has been chosen to depict Tim Tebow, who joined the Patriots in 2013.
Where You Know the American Sports Story Cast
Rivera, who is currently in the lead role for the season, is an emerging actor known for his standout performance in the cast of West Side Story (2021). In the film, he portrayed Chino, the fiancé of María (Rachel Zegler), a young woman who sparks conflict between two New York gangs when she falls in love with rival leader Tony (Ansel Elgort). Additionally, Rivera is set to star in the upcoming prequel The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes as Sejanus Plinth, a mentor from District 2 in the Hunger Games.
Sejanus Plinth holds a significant role as the close friend of the future Panem President Coriolanus Snow (Tom Blyth).
Schwarzenegger's career took off in 2012, following a minor role in 2006's The Benchwarmers. Prior to the 2020s, he had notable appearances in Midnight Sun, a romantic drama starring Bella Thorne, and an episode of Scream Queens, where he portrayed the brother of Chad Radwell, played by Glen Powell. Since then, Schwarzenegger's star has continued to rise, taking on roles alongside Toni Collette in the true crime miniseries The Staircase and with Chris Pratt in the action thriller The Terminal List. Additionally, he portrayed the significant character Golden Boy in this year's Gen V, a spinoff of The Boys.
It appears that American Sports Story will follow Murphy's trend of bringing talented young actors into the limelight. Furthermore, the show will continue Murphy's practice of casting familiar faces from his previous projects. Although Schwarzenegger has only been involved in one prior Ryan Murphy production, this new role has the potential to secure his place in Murphy's recurring ensemble of actors.
Source: Variety
