Is ‘Beast in Me’ based on a true story? Claire Danes’ Netflix thriller tackles truth, guilt and obsession
Imagine living in a world where the lines between good and evil are so blurred that preconceptions often lead to disaster. That's exactly the world inhabited by Netflix's upcoming eight-part thriller series 'The Beast in Me'. Starring Claire Danes and Matthew Rhys, 'The Beast in Me' was created by Gabe Rotter, who also serves as the executive producer. The show isn't based on a real story and is completely fictional. The upcoming Netflix show, which hits the streaming platform on Thursday, November 13, will feature Danes as grieving writer Aggie Wiggs alongside Rhys, who plays her neighbour and influential real-estate magnate Nile Jarvis, as per a report by Tudum.
The upcoming show harbours around the trope of misleading assumptions that often drive our social interactions. For starters, Jarvis has a controversial past of his own, which involved him being a prime suspect in the death of his wife. On the other hand, Wiggs is still in the throes of grief, mourning the untimely passing of her son. As a consequence of this tragedy in her life, Wiggs has isolated herself from society. The show aims to shuffle the watertight categories of good and bad, in the sense that the virtues and vices of the two leading characters eventually become unfathomable.
The morbid momentum of Wiggs' life is disturbed with the arrival of Jarvis as her neighbour. The official Netflix synopsis for the show explains, "She (Wiggs) finds an unlikely subject for a new book when the house next door is bought by Nile Jarvis (Rhys), a famed and formidable real estate mogul who was once the prime suspect in his wife’s disappearance. At once horrified and fascinated by this man, Aggie finds herself compulsively hunting for the truth, chasing his demons while fleeing her own, in a game of cat and mouse that might turn deadly."
The title of the show has been derived from the eponymous song by Johnny Cash. It goes on to illustrate the unreliable nature of first impressions, as explained by showrunner and executive producer Howard Gordon in an interview with Tudum: "It really is about all of our complicity. Whether it’s Monica Lewinsky or Amanda Knox or Nile Jarvis or whatever, sometimes we are quick to make assumptions. But when we are forced to look at it from another angle, do we have the humility and the compassion to listen and to revise the narrative?”
Danes has been previously known for her breakout performance in 'Homeland' and 'Fleishman Is In Trouble', while Rhys has won innumerable hearts with his portrayal of 'Perry Mason'. Apart from the leading pair, cast members of the upcoming show include Brittany Snow as Nile's wife Nina, David Lyons as FBI Agent Brian Abbott, Natalie Morales as Shelley, Tim Guinee as Wrecking Ball, among others.