Former New England Patriots football player Aaron Hernandez looks back during his murder trial at Bristol County Superior Court, Thursday, Feb. 5, 2015, in Fall River, Mass. Hernandez is accused of the June 2013 killing of Odin Lloyd. (AP Photo/Faith Ninivaggi, Pool)
Aaron Hernandez's "American Sports Story" will be told through a new television series, and we now have an official date for its premiere.
The FX network will air "American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez," a 10-episode limited series produced by Ryan Murphy about the life of the former New England Patriots tight end, including his rise to football fame to his downfall following his conviction for the murder of Odin Lloyd.
The series "explores the disparate strands of his identity, his family, his career, his suicide and their legacy in sports and American culture," according to a press release from FX.
Hernandez will be played by Josh Rivera, who recently starred in "West Side Story" and "The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes."
Tim Tebow, who played with Hernandez on the Florida Gators college football team, will be portrayed by Patrick Schwarzenneger, the son of Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Murphy, whose recent productions include "Dahmer" and "American Horror Story," is an executive producer on the project, along with Stuart Zicherman, Nina Jacobson, Brad Simpson, Alexis Martin Woodall, Eric Kovtun, Scott Robertson and Carl Franklin.
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The series will be based on the Boston Globe podcast "Gladiator: Aaron Hernandez and Football Inc.," which chronicled Hernandez's life with never before heard audio of key voices in the story, including his own.
The first two episodes will premiere on Sept. 17, and each episode will be available to stream on Hulu on the following day.
