Jessica Biel replaces Elisabeth Moss in true crime thriller based on Candy Montgomery

Jessica Biel is taking over for Elisabeth Moss in the limited crime drama Candy on Hulu. Instead of Moss, Biel will wield an ax to kill her church friend as Texas murderer Candy Montgomery reports Deadline.

Moss reportedly dropped out of the project due to scheduling conflicts. Hulu initially ordered the series with her attached, which makes sense given her starring role in the popular and acclaimed series The Handmaid’s Tale. Candy comes from other Hulu collaborators Robin Veith and Nick Antosca, who created The Act.

Who is Jessica Biel playing?

Biel is a great choice to replace Moss, especially with the many projects she’s been doing lately. Biel and her production company are behind the acclaimed USA Network show The Sinner and the Freeform breakout Cruel Summer. Her last starring role on television was in the short-lived Facebook Watch show Limetown, based on the podcast of the same name. She will executive produce this show alongside her partner Michelle Purple through their company Iron Ocean.

Interestingly, this is the second Candy Montgomery project in the works. Elizabeth Olsen is also playing her in an HBO Max show.

Who is Candy Montgomery?

The case of Candy Montgomery captured the public’s attention because she was a seemingly ordinary Texan housewife. She brutally murdered her close friend Betty Gore in a fit of rage on a Friday the 13th, of all days. At the time, she believed that Betty was having an affair with her husband, hence her dramatic reaction.

She allegedly left Betty with more than 40 ax wounds but was somehow found not guilty of the murder. The full reporting of Candy and Betty’s story was featured in Texas Monthly as part of a series in 1984, and this has reportedly served as the source material for HBO Max’s Love and Death.