Creators of the Netflix show ‘Making a Murderer’ hinted at the second installment of the hit documentary series this week. The 10-part series dominated airwaves and social media after its Dec. 2015 release, centering on the story of Steven Avery’s 2005 conviction for the murder of photographer Teresa Halbach, as well as the related convictions of Avery's nephew Brendan Dassey.
According to several reports, directors Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos said during a panel discussion in New York on Thursday that they have continued to record their ongoing conversations with Avery, and have spoken to his new lawyer, Kathleen Zellner, about the prospect of filming for a second season.
“From our perspective this story is obviously not over,” Ricciardi said. “It’s real life and (Avery and Dassey’s) cases are both still pending. We have no idea when the magistrate will make a decision in Brendan’s case. We do know that two potential outcomes are that the judge could order Brendan’s release or he could order a new trial. So we are on the edge of seats about that. To the extent that there are significant developments, we would like to continue documenting this (case).”
The panel was a “Stranger than Fiction” discussion hosted by the IFC Center in New York. Ricciardi and Demos were joined by Avery’s civil lawyer, Stephen M. Glynn, production adviser Maureen A. Ryan, and editor Mary Manhardt.
Glynn also hinted at challenges for the directors in filming a second installment, saying, “There is a lot of hostility toward these two women in Wisconsin. The theory is that have played Wisconsin unfairly. But among those people who think and are a little more educated and thoughtful about these sorts of issues, there is appreciation.”
The series was filmed over the course of 10 years in Manitowoc County, Wisconsin. Avery, who was wrongfully imprisoned for 18 years before DNA evidence exonerated him of unrelated sexual assault charges in 2003, filed an appeal in January.
