Ryan Murphy's One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest Prequel Gets Two-Season Order At Netflix

Netflix has snatched up yet another a high-profile drama from one of television's most prominent producers. 

The Hollywood Reporter confirms that the streaming giant has scored Ratched, a One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest prequel series, in a two-season, 18-episode order. The site picked up the series after what's been described as a "competitive bidding process" that involved Apple and Hulu as top contenders. 

Murphy is set to executive produce the show, which is an origin story that revolves around Nurse Ratched from the 1975 film starring Jack Nicholson as Randle McMurphy and Louise Fletcher as the heartless, tyrannical nurse. Emmy Award-winning actress and frequent collaborator of Murphy's Sarah Paulson will take on the role of Nurse Ratched. 

Hailing from Fox 21 Television Studios, where Murphy is under a hefty overall deal, Ratched will begin in 1947 and follow Ratched's journey to becoming a nurse, and her evolution into a monster. The series will track her deadly progression through the mental health care system, documenting the moments that tarnished her humanity and solidified her status as a force of evil. 

Michael Douglas, who produced One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, is on board as a an executive producer. Murphy is set to direct the pilot, working from a spec script penned by newcomer Evan Romansky. THR indicates that the American Horror Story creator spent a year trying to securing the rights to the character of Nurse Ratched, as well as to the estate of original producer Saul Zaentz, where film rights resided. Murphy, Douglas, Aleen Keshishian, Margaret Riley, and Lighthouse Management Media's Jacob Epstein are executive producing, with Romansky getting a co-EP credit. Paulson and Saul Zaentz Co.'s Paul Zaentz are attached to produce. 

Filming on Ratched is slated to begin in 2018, after Paulson wraps shooting on the third season of Murphy's FX anthology American Crime Story, Katrina. 

This project marks Murphy's first series for a streaming outlet, and comes as the industry vet gears up for the release of the seventh season of American Horror Story, Cult. Down the pipeline, Murphy has American Crime Story: Versace and Feud and Pose for FX, and the procedural series 911 for Fox. 

We'll update you as we know more details about Ratched, but for now, find out which actor turned down a role in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.