Monsters season 3 release date speculation – who was Ed Gein?

The second season followed Lyle and Erik Menendez (portrayed by Alexander Chavez and Cooper Koch), who were found guilty of murdering their parents.

The upcoming third instalment in the anthology will focus on Ed Gein, with Sons of Anarchy star Charlie Hunman set to star as the killer.

And now more cast members have been announced for the new season – officially titled The Original Monster – with Laurie Metcalf (Lady Bird), Tom Hollander (The Night Manager), and Olivia Williams (The Crown) all set to appear in key roles, according to Variety.

Metcalfe will play Gein’s mother Augusta, Hollander will star as Psycho director Alfred Hitchcock, and Williams will appear as Hitchcock’s wife, Alma Reville.

But when is the new season – officially titled The Original Monster – and who exactly was Ed Gein? Read on for everything we know so far about Monsters season 3.

Monsters season 3 release date speculation

As of now, there's no confirmed release date for Monsters season 3.

However, in a recent interview with Collider, Murphy revealed that filming is due to kick off on Halloween, 31st October, which – given that season 2 was released on 19th September – is a pretty quick turnaround time.

The first Dahmer series was released in 2022 and the second has been released in September 2024, meaning we had been expecting season 3 to land at some point in 2026.

However, with filming scheduled to begin so soon, fans can expect season 3 to land on Netflix at some point in late 2025.

Monsters season 3 cast: Who's set to star alongside Charlie Hunnam?

It's now been confirmed that Charlie Hunnam will be leading the cast of the third Monsters season as serial killer Ed Gein.

The English actor is known for his roles in Sons of Anarchy, Queer As Folk, Shantaram and Undeclared.

He has also starred in films like Pacific Rim, The Gentlemen and in the Rebel Moon film franchise.

As detailed above, Variety has reported that Laurie Metcalf (Lady Bird), Tom Hollander (The Night Manager), and Olivia Williams (The Crown) have also joined the cast as Gein’s mother Augusta, Psycho director Alfred Hitchcock and Hitchcock’s wife, Alma Reville, respectively.

What will Monsters season 3 be about – Who was Ed Gein?

All that we know so far is that the third season of Monsters will focus on Ed Gein, and if previous seasons of the series are anything to go by, we would expect to go into some pretty heavy detail surrounding his crimes.

But who was Ed Gein?

Gein was an American murderer and suspected serial killer whose gruesome crimes went on to become the morbid inspiration for numerous fictional film characters, including Psycho’s Norman Bates, Buffalo Bill from The Silence of the Lambs and Leatherface from The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.

Born in 1906 as Edward Theodore Gein in Wisconsin, Gein grew up in a puritanical household raised majorly by his mother, who he became devoted to.

After her death in 1945, it was said that Gein became deranged and in a bid to keep his mother's memory alive, kept her room tidy but the rest of his home unkempt as he became a hermit in the wake of her death.

In 1957, a 58-year-old hardware store owner named Bernice Worden was reported missing in Plainfield and, having been seen with her a short time before her disappearance, police went to visit Gein at his home. It was there that they discovered her decapitated body.

On further inspection of Gein's home, the police found that Gein had collected numerous body parts, which he used to make masks, items of clothing and household items such as bowls out of skulls. The police discovered that Gein had regularly robbed graves in order to collect human remains. The police also discovered the head of another missing woman, Mary Hogan, at Gein's property.

Gein went on to admit to killing the two women but pled not guilty by reason of insanity. In 1958, he was deemed unfit for trial after being diagnosed with schizophrenia and was held in numerous psychiatric institutions.

In 1968, Gein was deemed fit for trial and was subsequently found guilty of Worden's murder.

Gein was deemed insane at the time of his sentencing and was returned to a psychiatric institution where he remained until his death in 1984.

He died of complications from lung cancer and respiratory illnesses, aged 77.

In his recent interview with Collider, Murphy spoke about why Gein was chosen as the subject of season 3, revealing: "After we did Menendez, Ian and I were talking about it, and we were interested in this idea of, 'Where did our cultural interest in serial killers begin? Where and how did this all start?'

"Based on our research, the very first one who became a celebrity at that level was Ed, who was an instant crazy celebrity from the moment he was arrested. Nobody had ever heard of anything like that. Then we found out – he was motivated, obviously – but he was schizophrenic. How he became what he became was a very interesting story."

Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story is now streaming on Netflix – sign up for Netflix from £4.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.

Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.