September 18 marks the premiere of the Netflix original series, Ratched, an origin story about the head nurse from 1975's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Nurse Ratched is one of cinema's most famous villains, and when the world heard about this Cuckoo's Nest origin story, they all thought, “I don't know about this.” And when they heard Nurse Ratched was being played by Emmy award winner, Sarah Paulson, they all screamed, “pump this into my veins!”
But this wasn't Ryan Murphy's original idea for a villain origin story. The Glee and American Horror Story creator had a long list of characters from hit movies from the 70s he wanted to explore. Below are a few concepts Ryan Murphy considered before creating Ratched.
Margaret: Daughter of Christ
Before Carrie's telekinetic rampage at prom, there was Margaret White. Margaret: Daughter of Christ explores a young Margaret Brigham finding religion in the most extreme ways possible, and losing all her friends and family along the way, believing all of them to be living in sin. She denounces her mother and step-father, attempts to kill herself after having pre-marital sex with her soon-to-be-husband, and we see the new mother raise an infant Carrie on her own after her husband dies in a car accident. All that with the wonderful Ryan Murphy camp we know and love!
Starring Billy Eichner and Frances Conroy as John and Judith Brigham, Matthew Morrison as Harold Allison, Evan Peters as Ralph White, Emma Roberts as Infant Carrie White, and Sarah Paulson as Margaret White.
Pazuzu
What was the demon up to before possessing young Regan MacNeil in 1973's The Exorcist? Pazuzu follows the life of that pesky demon, making its way through the world finding the right human to possess and wreak havoc. Each episode will follow Pazuzu taking over some rube's body, destroying them mentally and physically, and moving on.
All of Ryan Murphy's favorites will guest star in the series: Lily Rabe, James Cromwell, Lady Gaga, Gwenyth Paltrow, a generic muscular man with brown hair, and Cee Lo Green. Sarah Paulson stars as Pazuzu.
The Blues Brothers' Wife
After Joliet Jake Blues leaves Carrie Fisher at the altar, Carrie Fisher must train to become a skilled assassin and seek revenge on her spurned lover, all while writing the novel and screenplay for Postcards from the Edge. It's Rambo, but for girls!
Starring Kathy Bates as Jake Blues, Dylan McDermott as Elwood Blues, Angela Bassett as Aretha Franklin, and Sarah Paulson as Carrie Fisher. Billie Lourde makes a cameo.
Fredo*
The show follows Fredo Corleone realizing he may not have the skills to lead the Corleone crime family if Sonny dies. His father Vito shows a liking to Sonny and his younger brother Michael, but Fredo is the black sheep. Fredo attempts to win his father's respect through a series of gimmicks but consistently fails.
Starring Jon Jon Briones as Vito, Finn Wittrock as Moe Green, Matt Bomer as Sonny, and Sarah Paulson as Fredo.
*This show will be a musical.
Them Watergate Boys
All the President's Men follows Woodward and Bernstein tackling the Watergate Scandal, but what about the perspective of the burglars? In Them Watergate Boys, Sarah Paulson plays all five DNC burglars that puts her role as the conjoined twins in American Horror Story: Freak Show to shame.
Co-starring Cody Fern as Bob Woodward and Lea Michele as Carl Bernstein.
Kinickie v. Rizzo**
Kinickie follows the character from Grease who asks Danny if Sandy put up a fight during “Summer Loving” after the events of the film. The series is a tense custody battle between Rizzo and Kinickie after it's revealed that Rizzo was lying about her pregnancy. Meanwhile, Kinickie is struggling with PTSD after Danny and Sandy's car flew into the sky and crashed into a Boeing 707. There were no survivors. Starring Jessica Lange as Rizzo and Sarah Paulson as Kinickie.
**This show will not be a musical