FX is moving full steam ahead on The Shards, the high-profile adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis’s semi-autobiographical novel. The network has officially greenlit the Ryan Murphy-led project, and casting for the core ensemble is now confirmed. Igby Rigney (The Fall of the House of Usher) will take on the role of a teenage Bret, with Homer Gere (The Agency) stepping into the pivotal role of Robert Mallory. Graham Campbell rounds out the trio as Thom Wright. Kaia Gerber had already been announced as part of the main cast.
The Shards, set in 1981 Los Angeles, follows 17-year-old Ellis during his final year at the elite Buckley prep school. A new student, Mallory, enters the scene just as a string of grisly murders by a figure known as The Trawler begin to rattle the community. The novel, which first debuted as an audiobook before landing in print in 2023, mixes fiction with deeply personal elements from Ellis’s own life.
Casting Rigney as Ellis signals a bet on a rising star. His recent turn in Mike Flanagan’s The Fall of the House of Usher earned him attention for his ability to play troubled, introspective youth. Homer Gere, the son of Richard Gere, takes on the story’s most enigmatic figure, Robert Mallory. Gere’s casting marks a notable moment as he steps into a breakout role. Graham Campbell’s casting as Thom Wright adds further depth to the youthful core of the show.
The series has been in development for some time. Originally attached to HBO in 2023, the project floated through a series of high-profile potential directors, including Luca Guadagnino and Kristoffer Borgli, before landing at FX with Max Winkler on board to direct. Murphy, Ellis, Winkler, Nick Hall, Kathleen McCaffrey and Brian Young will serve as executive producers. A showrunner has not yet been named.
Ellis, best known for American Psycho and Less Than Zero, remains a polarizing figure in literary and cultural circles. The Shards digs into themes of identity, obsession, and the masks we wear, all seen through the lens of privilege and paranoia in early ’80s Los Angeles.
So, did they get the casting right? Is Rigney the right choice to play a young Ellis? Can Homer Gere bring the menace and mystery that Mallory demands? Let us know what you think.
