Dick Wolf’s NBC Menendez Brothers Series Names Rene Balcer Showrunner

Writer and executive producer is a “Law & Order” veteran

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Dick Wolf‘s upcoming NBC series based on the Menendez brothers has named Rene Balcer as its showrunner, TheWrap has learned.

Balcer, who will write and executive produce the show, was one of the original writers on “Law & Order” and went on to become executive producer and showrunner for that series. He then developed “Law & Order: Criminal Intent” and served as its showrunner for 10 seasons.

“Rene and I have been working together over the past three decades and he is one of a handful of truly great showrunners with whom I’ve worked,” Wolf said. “‘Law & Order’ won the Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series under his watch.”

The series, titled “Law & Order: True Crime — The Menendez Murders,” will focus on the case of the two brothers who were convicted of murdering their parents and sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole in 1996. NBC recently ordered eight one-hour episodes.

Wolf, the creator of NBC’s “Chicago” and “Law & Order” franchises, including the recently announced live reality series “Law & Order: You the Jury,” will executive produce through Wolf Entertainment in association with Universal Television. Peter Jankowski and Arthur W. Forney will also executive produce.

The project continues the recent wave of renewed interest in true crime stories. FX’s “The People v. O.J. Simpson,” Netflix’s “Making a Murderer” and HBO’s “The Jinx” all found recent success in bringing high-profile criminal investigations to television.

Balcer is repped by CAA, Brillstein Entertainment Partners and the legal firm Rohner & Walerstein.

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