The manufacturing crew behind Netflix‘s new documentary on the Menendez brothers started engaged on their venture 4 years in the past. What started with a letter changed into a cellphone name from Lyle Menendez, which might kickstart each his and brother Erik’s eventual participation in The Menendez Brothers, which is now streaming.
Within the lead as much as the two-hour documentary’s Monday premiere, Ross Dinerstein and Rebecca Evans of Campfire Studios spoke with The Hollywood Reporter final week, the place they weighed in on the current developments within the case, following the Los Angeles County District Lawyer’s workplace reviewing new proof, in addition to the cultural motion pushing for the discharge of the brothers (additionally due to Netflix’s hit Monsters collection) who had been convicted of killing their dad and mom, José and Mary Louise “Kitty” Menendez, and sentenced in 1996 to life in jail with out parole.
Now that the documentary is out, that includes uncommon cellphone interviews with Erik and Lyle — and with a companion podcast resulting from launch three episodes of extra audio on Wednesday — under is extra of THR‘s dialog with Dinerstein and Evans, together with their hopes to proceed interviewing the brothers, their correspondence with lawyer Leslie Abramson and their response to criticism in regards to the doc specializing in the protection.
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So, are there plans so that you can hold the cameras rolling? Do you wish to hold following the story?
ROSS DINERSTEIN We’d like to hold going. The podcast covers quite a lot of it. However we imagine this story is much from over and we’d wish to hold going.
Do you suppose Erik and Lyle can be out there for brand spanking new interviews, should you stored going?
DINERSTEIN Sure, we do. The belief has already constructed between us and them and their households.
REBECCA EVANS They’d completely communicate to us about what’s been taking place.
Their habeas petition now beneath assessment may pave the best way for the brothers to be retried, resentenced to a lesser time period or launched. Do you suppose they may face up to going via one other trial at this level of their lives?
EVANS It’s arduous to say, not being them. However I do know they’ve had quite a lot of time to suppose on what occurred, and rehabilitate and discover themselves. So I’m positive they’d be in a special head area, however you’d need to ask them I suppose.
You embrace an emailed assertion from protection lawyer Leslie Abramson in the long run title playing cards. I’m curious in regards to the correspondence you had along with her, or the correspondence Erik and Lyle have had along with her, and why she hasn’t stated a lot publicly in regards to the case.
EVANS I undoubtedly can’t communicate for her, solely as a result of she’s simply such a robust and courageous girl for what she took on, by way of the case at the moment. I’m very excited for her to look at it. I hope she watches this. She has notoriously by no means spoken out for the reason that case. She stated it was a valiant effort on my half to achieve out to her (laughs) and praised me for it, however finally, no. So I want I may communicate for her, however she’s a tricky one.
The prosecutor from the primary trial in 1993, Pamela Bozanich, participates in your documentary and she or he presents a opposite viewpoint when she says, “That entire protection was fabricated, and it was achieved artfully, however it was fabricated.” What would you say to critiques that this doc is one-sided or too centered on the protection?
EVANS It’s all the time essential for us to get a number of sides, and I believe that’s why Pamela didn’t actually hesitate when she got here on board. As documentarians, we now have to offer all the perimeters so audiences can then stroll away with their very own ideas, concepts and questions. There are different folks within the documentary who really feel extra equally to Pam, after which there are extra individuals who really feel extra equally to Leslie, for instance. I believe it was actually essential for us to get all sides. I hope that comes out. And due to that, it actually wasn’t an issue getting Pam.
DINERSTEIN And we’re identified for that. In the event you’ve seen our Laci Peterson doc [American Murder: Laci Peterson], we interviewed Scott Peterson’s household as nicely.
What do you hope for Erik and Lyle now, with what’s coming subsequent for them? [A hearing has been set for Nov. 29.]
EVANS In the identical method that I really feel for all our interview topics, I simply hope they really feel that we instructed their story in an trustworthy and simply method. That goes for Pam, that goes for Erik, that goes for Lyle. I hope everybody feels that our intentions from the start had been trustworthy and that what they needed to say got here via.
DINERSTEIN One of many issues I’m so pleased with is that when [American Murder: Laci Petersen] got here out, we acquired the nicest observe from Laci’s mother. We stated we had been going to do one thing, and we did it. We had been clear along with her about who our story was going to be and who was going to be concerned, and she or he thanked us.
The Menendez Brothers documentary is now streaming on Netflix.