A new docuseries will present never-before-seen material relating to the 1980 murder ofJohn Lennon.John Lennon: Murder Without a Trialwill air on Apple TV+. Now,The Hollywood Reporterhas revealed thatKiefer Sutherlandwill narrate the upcoming three-part documentary series on the senseless 1980 New York City murder of the ex-Beatle by obsessed fanMark David Chapman. Sutherland is best known for the television series24and recently returned to the small screen with Paramount+‘sThe Rabbit Hole.
Coming over forty years after the crime,Murder Without a Trialwill focus on the investigation and trial of Chapman, who remains imprisoned and has been denied parole multiple times. Thanks to Freedom of Information Act requests to the New York City Police Department, the board of parole, and the district attorney’s office, the documentary has uncovered new material on the case. It will also feature interviews with Chapman’s defense lawyers, psychiatrists, detectives, and prosecutors, as well as friends and acquaintances of Lennon. 72 Films produced the series forApple TV+; it was directed byNick HoltandRob Coldstream, and executive produced byDavid Glover,Mark Raphael,Simon Bunney, andLouis Lee Ray.
Why are Depictions of Lennon’s Murder Still Controversial?
Since Lennon’s 1980 murder, Lennon’s family and friends have sought to prevent Chapman from gaining the notoriety that he ultimately craved. Thus, the production ofChapter 27, a fictionalized version of the hours of Chapman’s life leading up to the murder, proved highly controversial. The film starredJared Letoas Chapman, who gained almost 70 pounds for the role and also featuredLindsay LohanandJudah Friedlander. The film was ultimately poorly reviewed and was given a limited release in 2008 after sitting on the shelf for over a year. Time will only tell whether Apple’s examination of Chapman will prove more tasteful, and earn less ire from Lennon’s loved ones, thanChapter 27.
John Lennon: Murder Without a Trialhas yet to set a release date. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates.
