Rob Zombie and Bret Easton Ellis to collaborate on Charles Manson series

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 28 (UPI) -- White Zombie rocker Rob Zombie and American Psycho author Bret Easton Ellis will collaborate on an upcoming TV series about Charles Manson.

The project is in the early stages of development, and is currently envisioned as a limited television series that will air on FOX.

Ellis, who brought serial killer Patrick Bateman to life in his novel American Psycho, will write the script for the show, while Rob Zombie will direct.

The series will revisit the people and events leading up to and after the notorious 1969 murder spree, which left seven dead in the Los Angeles area. The story will be told from various shifting points of view.

Rob Zombie conceived the concept for the show and brought his idea to Ellis. Zombie told Variety, "I have been obsessed with this insane story since I was a kid, so obviously I jumped at the chance to be involved in this incredible project. After speaking with Bret, I immediately realized that we shared the same vision for this epic madness."

Manson was sentenced to death in 1971 for his role in the Manson family murders, but the sentence was commuted to life in prison after the Supreme Court deemed the death penalty unconstitutional in California the following year. California has since reinstated the death penalty, but Manson's altered sentence remains unchanged. He has been denied parole twelve times.

[Variety]