EXCLUSIVE: Ryan Murphy and Plan B have canceled part two of their FX anthology series Feud. The project, titled “Capote’s Women,” will star two-time Oscar nominee Naomi Watts as Babe Paley, who ruled the glamorous world of New York society in the 1960s and ’70s. Two-time Oscar nominee Gus Van Sant will direct all eight episodes, while Tony and Pulitzer nominee Jon Robin Baitz put together the top-notch package, wrote all episodes and served as showrunner.
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The miniseries is an adaptation of Laurence Leamer’s best-selling book, Capote’s Women: A True Story of Love, Betrayal, and a Swan Song for an Era, set in the 1970s and concluding with Truman Capote’s death in 1984, the famous child prodigy , when he stabbed several of his girlfriends – whom he called his “swans” – in the back by publishing a roman à clef short story in Esquire in 1975 entitled “La Côte Basque 1965”. The play was to be a chapter in Capote’s infamous unfinished novel Answered Prayers, his follow-up to the blockbuster In Cold Blood.
After the tremendous success of “In Cold Blood,” Capote was the toast of New York’s high society, who counted the city’s most beautiful, stylish, and wealthy women among close friends, his swans. The list of top celebrities in his inner circle included Babe Paley, wife of CBS boss Bill Paley, who is played by Watts on Feud: Capote’s Women; Slim Keith; Pamela Churchill Harriman, ex-wife of Winston’s son and future wife of Slim’s husband; Lee Radziwill, sister of Jackie Kennedy; Gloria Guinness and CZ guest.
Lightly disguised versions of Capote’s female confidants, the characters of La Côte Basque revealed their shocking secrets and scandals, from adultery to murder. Its publication destroyed Capote’s friendships, all his swans cut him off, as did his reputation and social standing.
Jon Robin Baitz, Gus Van Sant AP
The world is searching for an actor to play Capote in Capote’s Women. Other Oscar-nominated and award-winning actresses are being approached to star alongside Watts in Capote’s Socialite Swans, including Slim, Pamela, Lee, Gloria and CZ, as well as Johnny Carson’s second wife Joanne Carson, a good friend of Capote’s who was close to him until to his death. Casting for these roles is expected to be in full swing next week, led by the miniseries producing team of Baitz, Watts and Van Sant.
Created by Murphy, Jaffe Cohen and Michael Zam, the first installment of Feud attracted Oscar winners Jessica Lange and Susan Sarandon as leads, rival Hollywood icons Joan Crawford and Bette Davis.
Brothers & Sisters creator Baitz, Milk director Van Sant and Watts are producing Feud: Capote’s Women, along with Murphy, Plan B’s Dede Gardner, Tim Minear, Alexis Martin Woodall, Lange and Sarandon, who are all executive producers/producers on Feud: Bette and Joan were. 20th Television is the studio producing with Plan B Entertainment and Ryan Murphy Productions. Filming is slated to begin in New York this fall.
Babe Paley appeared in an episode of the Murphy-Executive-produced Netflix series Halston, where she was played by Regina Schneider.
The 2005 film Capote, set in an earlier period of the writer’s life, starred Philip Seymour Hoffman, who won an Oscar for the title role, with Michelle Harrison in the role of Babe Paley. In the 2006 film Infamous, Capote was played by Toby Jones with Sigourney Weaver as Babe Paley and Hope Davis as Slim Keith.
Feud: Bette and Joan debuted in 2017 and received strong reviews and 18 Emmy nominations, including Outstanding Limited Series and two Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie nominations for Lange and Sarandon.
At the time, there was an idea for a second season of Feud that would focus on Charles and Diana, but it never materialized.
Capote’s Women extends Watts’ relationship with Murphy; She also stars in his upcoming Netflix series The Watcher. She is currently headlining the feature film Infinite Storm. Watts is represented by CAA and Untitled Entertainment. Van Sant is repeated by WME; Baitz is repeated by CAA.