'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest' Prequel 'Ratched' Coming to Netflix
Fans of Ryan Murphy's "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" must be on cloud nine following Netflix's recent announcement. Several days ago, the streaming network confirmed that the prequel to the series, "Ratched," would have two seasons and will star "American Horror Story" actress Sarah Paulson.
Executive produced by Murphy himself as well as several others including "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest's" Michael Douglas, "Ratched" will consist of two seasons and will have a total of 18 episodes. In it, Paulson will play the role of a younger version of the unpleasant nurse from the original series who was known as Nurse Ratched.
Created by new film school alum Evan Romansky, "Ratched" took a pretty long time to materialize. According to reports, Romansky, who also wrote the script for the series, initially sent the script to Murphy's agent. After a year of getting the rights for the franchise and having Douglas and the Saul Zaentz estate on board, Murphy finally decided to executive produce the series with Douglas, Aleen Keshishian, Margaret Riley and Jacob Epstein of Lighthouse Management & Media.
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"One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" centered on the emotionally withdrawn nurse from the Salem State Hospital, Ratched. After the character was first introduced in the 1962 novel, it was brought to life in the TV series adaptation by actress Louise Fletcher, who bagged the Academy Award for Best Actress for her effective portrayal of the role. Directed by Milos Forman, the original series also starred Jack Nicholson as Randle McMurphy, as well as Danny DeVito, Christopher Lloyd and Scatman Crothers.
Meanwhile, the upcoming prequel will reportedly be set in 1947 and will follow the titular character as she evolves from a run-of-the-mill nurse to an authority figure. Paulson, has had five Emmys nominations throughout her career, finally winning one last year for her role in "American Crime Story: People v. OJ Simpson."
Production for "Ratched" will begin in mid-2018.
