New Ryan Murphy drama just dropped (and no, we’re not talking about a new show in his ever-expanding Murphyverse). Per The Hollywood Reporter, Murphy recently threatened to sue Writers Guild of America strike captain Warren Leight for alleging on Twitter that American Horror Story crew members were told they would be “blackballed in Murphy-land†if they didn’t cross WGA picket lines. Murphy previously denied the claim as “categorically false†through a spokesperson. According to a WGA memo obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, Murphy’s attorney then reached out to the WGA to threaten litigation. Leight later deleted and retracted his tweet, calling it “unsubstantiated†and “completely false and inaccurate.†He has also resigned from his roles as both a strike captain and a member of the strike rules-compliance committee.
By The Hollywood Reporter’s count, there are only four shows left in production on the East Coast, and three of them — including American Horror Story — are produced by Murphy. Murphy is a member of the WGA West, but is reportedly working on these projects as a director and producer. The WGA said in its memo that it will continue picketing Murphy’s shows and will investigate leads about any writing that is happening during the strike. “Our foe in this fight is not other members, it is the AMPTP,†the memo adds. “If we turn on each other, the AMPTP wins.â€