Ted Bundy True Crime Series Coming to Netflix

Netflix has ordered a new true crime series, this time focusing on the story of Ted Bundy, titled [...]

By Michael Hein

Netflix has ordered a new true crime series, this time focusing on the story of Ted Bundy, titled Conversations With A Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes.

Netflix officially announced its latest documentary series last week through its See What's Next account on Twitter. The show is titled Conversations With A Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes, and it drops next month. It comes from director Joe Berlinger, known for other acclaimed and shocking documentaries going back several decades.

The series is broken into four parts, according to a report by The Wrap, and features never-before-released audio recordings of interviews with Bundy as he awaited his sentence on death row. It explores how Bundy managed to eschew many of the stereotypes associated with serial killers, using his good looks and smooth social skills to terrorize women across the United States.

Bundy confessed that he had raped and killed at least 30 women before he was finally arrested in 1978. Many believe he may have had even more victims than that, as he was meticulous in covering his tracks.

Even after his arrest, as police in multiple states worked to correlate Bundy's crimes, the killer managed to break out of prison twice. In both cases, he carried out more crimes before he could be recaptured again. He was finally held for good in Florida, where the tapes used in the documentary were recorded.

The series will premiere on Jan. 24, which is the 30th anniversary of Bundy's execution. The serial killer was put to death in an electric chair early in the morning, with a massive cheering crowd gathered in celebration across the street. He was 42 years old.

In addition to the docu-series, Berlinger has just finished a scripted drama about Bundy. The feature-length film stars Zac Efron as the killer, with Lily Collins, Haley Joel Osment and other stars taking on more pivotal roles. The cast also includes John Malkovich, Jim Parsons and Berlinger himself.

The movie is titled Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, and its premiere is planned for two days after the docu-seriers launches. It will begin at Sundace Film Festival, and if demand is high enough it could get a national release afterward.

Chances seem good that it will, as true crime is a heavy hitter in the media these days. If Netflix's Making a Murderer is any indication, Conversations With A Killer will probably do well, and then it will be up to fans to call out for Extremely Wicked in theaters. For better or worse, the 30th anniversary of Bundy's death may kick off his most relevant year yet.

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