The newly announced second season of the Ryan Murphy-produced FX anthology series Feud will focus on the relationship between legendary author Truman Capote and a clique of Manhattan socialites. It has been five years since the release of the critically acclaimed first season, which featured Jessica Lange as Joan Crawford and Susan Sarandon as Bette Davis alongside a star-studded supporting cast.
Although there are still more announcements to be made about Feud‘s second season and filming has yet to begin, here are the more important things to know moving forward!
Capote’s Women
The complete title of season 2 is Feud: Capote’s Women. One of the biggest surprises after the initial announcement of a second season was the reveal of who the main characters behind this installment’s celebrity rivalry would be.
A second season subtitled Charles and Diana was initially planned following the success of season 1. However, as Deadline reported in 2018, those plans were eventually scrapped and the future of Feud was uncertain. Perhaps plans for Charles and Diana were canceled as a result of the success of The Crown or Ryan Murphy’s deal with Netflix.
Season 1 Was An Awards Darling
Feud: Bette and Joan premiered on March 5, 2017, to universal praise. The limited series centered on the infamous public rivalry between Bette Davis and Joan Crawford, primarily when the two actresses worked together on the now 60-year-old movie What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
The series received a whopping 18 Emmy nominations, including Outstanding Limited Series along with nods for Lange and Sarandon as well as recognition for supporting actors Alfred Molina, Judy Davis, Jackie Hoffman, and Stanley Tucci. The awards magnet seemed sure to get renewed, and although the wait has been long, the subject matter will likely attract awards voters once again.
Ryan Murphy Will Executive Produce
Although Ryan Murphy has had his hands full with various Netflix projects as well as other ongoing FX anthology series like American Horror Story, Murphy is still signed on to executive produce the second season.
Murphy’s involvement in the first season was substantial, having co-created the series with Jaffe Cohen and Michael Zam. He also wrote and directed several episodes, including the season’s highlight episode “And The Winner Is…(The Oscars of 1963),” in which Crawford plots to ensure that Davis loses the Academy Award for Best Actress. No details as to the extent of Murphy’s involvement in season 2 have been revealed.
Jon Robin Baitz Will Create
As Deadline reported this past April, Jon Robin Baitz has signed on to create Feud: Capote’s Women. He will also serve as the season’s showrunner. Baitz was also previously a part of the scrapped Charles and Diana season.
A celebrated playwright and Pulitzer prize finalist, Jon Robin Baitz has previous television credits that include the ABC series Brothers and Sisters, for which Sally Field won an Emmy award. Baitz’s other TV writing credits include Alias and The West Wing. Given his extensive resume, Feud: Capote’s Women surely has a talented writer behind the project.
Gus Van Sant Will Direct
Acclaimed director Gus Van Sant has signed on to direct all episodes of the upcoming season, rounding out a creative team uniquely led by LGBTQ+ identifying artists in central roles.
Gus Van Sant received two Academy Award nominations for Best Director for Good Will Hunting (1997) and Milk (1998). His critically acclaimed film Elephant (2003) won the Palme D’or at the Cannes Film Festival. Furthermore, Van Sant has received praise for his lasting impact on LGBTQ+ representation in film with cult classics like My Own Private Idaho (1991).
Naomi Watts Will Star
Australian actress Naomi Watts is the first confirmed performer announced for the project. Watts is a two-time Oscar-nominated actress known for her work in Mulholland Drive (2001), 21 Grams (2003), and The Impossible (2012).
Watts will play Babe Paley who, according to W Magazine, married media businessman William S. Paley and though she was a popular, wealthy socialite, Capote himself remarked that “he was the only true friend [Babe Paley] ever had in her life.”
Season 2 Is Based On Laurence Leamer’s Book
Subtitled A True Story of Love, Betrayal, and a Swan Song for an Era, Laurence Leamer’s Capote’s Women will serve as the source material for Jon Robin Baitz’s adaptation. If the subtitle is any indication, the book will fit perfectly with the themes of Feud.
Leamer’s book primarily focuses on Capote’s relationships with the women of New York high society and how those relationships crumbled when he published the short story “La Côte Basque 1965” in the mid-1970s, which was supposed to be part of his unfinished final novel.
Casting Is Underway
Although Naomi Watts is the only officially announced cast member of Feud, based on the casting of the show’s first season, there will likely be several recognizable faces among the ensemble.
Deadline reports that the creative team is currently undergoing a worldwide search to find the right fit for Truman Capote. Whoever ultimately plays the role has big shoes to fill, as Capote was immortalized on-screen with a Best Actor Oscar-winning performance by Philip Seymour Hoffman.
FX Is Still Behind The Series
Feud: Bette and Joan aired on FX before Ryan Murphy made the move to Netflix. However, Murphy’s other ongoing FX series that were originally produced prior to his Netflix deal have continued to air on the cable network. The same will apply to season 2 of Feud.
FX programming has evolved significantly since Bette and Joan. While some programs like the Donald Glover-created series Atlanta have continued to air on television, other FX shows like Under the Banner of Heaven have gone straight to Hulu. It is unclear which release model will be applied to Capote’s Women.
Filming Will Begin This Fall
Town & Country reported that production for Feud: Capote’s Women is slated to begin this fall in 2022. As the story itself is set in New York City, the series will film there as well.
The release date is currently uncertain. Although no official announcement has been made, based on typical shooting and post-production schedules, fans can likely expect the FX series to be released in Spring or Summer 2023, which should time out perfectly with next season’s Emmy Awards.
