”Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story’ – See The Characters & The Real-Life People On Whom They Are Based

Robert Lang

Thu, August 20, 2026 at 3:35 PM UTC

2 min read

”Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story’ – See The Characters & The Real-Life People On Whom They Are Based — (Getty/Netflix)

Season 4 of Netflix's Monster true-crime franchise will focus on the story of Lizzie Borden, who was tried and acquitted of the 1892 axe murders of her father and stepmother in Fall River, Massachusetts.
The Borden murders and trial received extensive nationwide publicity in the U.S. and have remained part of American popular culture, with Lizzie Borden being depicted in numerous film, television, and theater adaptations.
Ella Beatty, daughter of Warren Beatty and Annette Bening, will make her screen acting debut in the series and play the role of Lizzie Borden, with Rebecca Hall portraying her stepmother and Charlie Hunnam cast as Borden's father Andrew in the Season 4 narrative.

Season 4 of Netflix's Monster true-crime franchise from creators/executive producers Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan has finished production, with Netflix releasing the first official look at the upcoming series that will premiere on September 17th. The series will tell the story of Lizzie Borden, who was tried and acquitted of the 1892 axe murders of her father and stepmother in Fall River, Massachusetts.

The Borden murders and trial received extensive nationwide publicity in the U.S. and have remained part of American popular culture in the decades since. Lizzie Borden has been depicted in numerous film, television and theater adaptations, most recently in Lifetime's The Lizzie Borden Chronicles starring Christina Ricci, and the 2018 feature film Lizzie starring Chloë Sevigny and Kristen Stewart.

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The story will follow Lizzie, the repressed daughter of a wealthy Fall River estate, and her rebellious maid, who find themselves trapped in a house built on humiliation and psychological cruelty; they escape into a dark fantasy of illicit desire, power, and bloody revenge. The gruesome unsolved murders that follow don't just shock the world—they give birth to an icon who refuses to live imprisoned in a cage, choosing instead to forge her own legend: shocking, monstrous, and gloriously free.

Ella Beatty — whose parents are Warren Beatty and Annette Bening — made her screen acting debut in Murphy's Feud: Capote vs. The Swans and will play Borden. Rebecca Hall portrays her stepmother, and Vicky Krieps is set to play "Maggie Sullivan," the nickname of Bridget Sullivan, the live-in maid. Joey Pollari as Lizzie's uncle and prime suspect John Vinnicum Morse, Charlie Hunnam as her father Andrew Borden, Oliver Spenceman as the fictional character Stephen, and Sarah Paulson portrays serial killer Aileen Wuornos, who plays a major role in scenes set decades later. Murphy and Brennan depict her as inspired by Lizzie's legacy.

Scroll through the gallery below to see side-by-side photos of the actors and the real-life people they play.

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