Penelope Cruz Will Play Donatella Versace in 'American Crime Story' Season 3

The season chronicles the 1997 murder of Donatella's brother Gianni Versace.

Penelope Cruz
(Image credit: GETTY IMAGES)

Penelope Cruz has been cast in the third season of American Crime Story. FX confirmed today that Cruz will play Donatella Versace, the sister of murdered fashion designer Gianni Versace, in the anthology show's upcoming season.

Scheduled to air in 2018, American Crime Story's third installment will chronicle the 1997 murder of Gianni Versace, who was shot on the steps of his Miami Beach home. Edgar Ramirez will play Versace, while Darren Criss has been cast as his killer, Andrew Cunanan. The season will be based on the 1999 book Vulgar Favors, byVanity Fair writer Maureen Orth. Tom Rob Smith, who most recently wrote the BBC show London Spy, will write several episodes and serve as a co-producer.

Executive produced by FX mainstay Ryan Murphy, American Crime Story is following up its acclaimed debut season The People v. O. J. Simpson with a varied slew of true crime stories. Its second and fourth seasons will focus respectively on the fallout from Hurricane Katrina and the Bill Clinton-Monica Lewinsky affair.

The show's Katrina and Versace installments are both due to air on FX in 2018.

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Emma Dibdin

Emma Dibdin is a freelance writer based in Los Angeles who writes about culture, mental health, and true crime. She loves owls, hates cilantro, and can find the queer subtext in literally anything.