Chucky’s executive producer,Alex Hedlund, isn’t super crazy about the word “true crime,” though he’s worked on projects like Peacock’sA Friend of the Familyand Hulu’sCandywhich are based on true stories. During an interview with Collider’sBritta DeVore, Hedlund says that he and his partner,Nick Antosca, prefer the term “domestic drama,” but understand that studios won’t necessarily be filled with the same pizazz. Still, the pair have managed to get their fair share of projects into production with ascripted series based around the Murdaugh family on its way to Hulu.
When asked what his dreamstory to adapt for televisionwould be, Hedlund was more than ready to give his response. “You know what my white whale is? I’ll put this out there:Amy Fisher,” he says, explaining, “I think her story is fascinating, not only in terms of just the Long Island Lolita aspect of like that early ‘90s rip out of the headlines and the multiple MOWs [movies of the week] that were made, and all the sort of late-night Letterman jokes and all of that canon, but subsequent to that, when after Amy and Joey went to prison and how they got together. There’s this long tale and this bizarre love triangle, and I would love to either explore a doc idea or some kind of a limited [series].”
Hedlund adds that, just as he and his team did withJan BroberginA Friend of the Family,he would want to ensure that Fisher would also be “on board as a partner” should his “white whale” move forward. “I think that’s kind of the one story that hasn’t been told correctly, and I think 30 years removed now, I do think that, you know, clearly she was guilty. I don’t wanna sidestep that fact, but I think that the circumstances, and particularly a lot of the grooming and just the home where she came from, I think that there’s a lot of context there that sort of speaks to certain decisions and other things. So I think that there’s a fuller picture that hasn’t fully been addressed.”
The Amy Fisher Story Captured the ’90s
The abridged version of Fisher’s story is that when she was only 17 years old, she was groomed and engaged in a heated affair with a 36-year-old auto shop owner namedJoey Buttafuoco. Hatching a plan to get his wife out of the way, Fisher shot and wounded Buttafuoco’s spouse,Mary Jo Buttafuoco. The biggest newspaper-selling story of the early ‘90s, the following trial, jail time, and details of the affair captivated America. Now that time has given many anew perspective on names likeMonica LewinskyandJanet Jackson, it’s very likely that the same could be said for Fisher. Putting all his cards on the table, Hedlund adds, “So, if anybody is listening, Amy Fisher, I would love to tell that story.”
The mid-season finale ofChuckyarrives on Syfy, USA Network, and Peacock on Wednesday, October 25.
