'American Crime Story: Versace' to premiere Jan. 17 on FX

Nov. 1 (UPI) -- American Crime Story will return to FX in January.

The network announced in a tweet Wednesday that the anthology series' second season, American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace, will debut Jan. 17.

"The date is set. The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story premieres January 17 on @FXNetworks. #ACSVersace," the show's official Twitter account wrote.

Versace will examine the 1997 murder of Italian fashion designer Gianni Versace. The Versace founder was shot dead on the steps of his Miami Beach mansion by serial killer Andrew Cunanan, who killed himself days later.

Edgar Ramirez will play Versace, with Darren Criss as Cunanan and Penelope Cruz as Versace's sister, Donatella Versace. Ricky Martin and Max Greenfield co-star as Versace's boyfriend, Antonio D'Amico, and brother, Santo Versace.

FX released a teaser this month of Cruz, as Donatella, kissing the steps of Versace's mansion before entering the property. Cruz said in the October issue of Interview that she was surprised when executive producer Ryan Murphy approached her with the role.

"I had a few questions about how he was going to handle her portrayal, but he's so classy, and he's very respectful to people," the actress told the magazine.

"This is a delicate story, because I'm playing someone who is alive, someone who lost her brother in a horrible way, and someone who still misses him very much 20 years later," she explained. "I was not used to the rhythm of doing television."

American Crime Story debuted in 2016 with The People v. O.J. Simpson. The Assassination of Gianni Versace will be followed by a season about the events of Hurricane Katrina.