Ryan Murphy's 'American Sports Story,' about Aaron Hernandez, casts Josh Andrés Rivera and Patrick Schwarzenegger

Ryan Murphy's next anthology series, "American Sports Story," is inching forward – and the first season will be about allegedly gay football player Aaron Hernandez with "Hamilton" touring production alum Josh Andrés Rivera playing the part, while Patrick Schwarzenegger has been signed to portray all-American hunk Tim Tebow.

Variety reported that Season 1 of the upcoming series is based on "Gladiator: Aaron Hernandez and Football Inc," a podcast produced by Boston's newspaper of record, the Boston Globe, and Wondery.

The series will "examine the 'rise and fall' of Hernandez, including looking into his identity, his family, his career, his death and his legacy," Variety detailed. "Hernandez was a tight end for the New England Patriots of the NFL before he was convicted for murder. He ultimately took his own life in prison in 2017."

Rumors swirled following his death that Hernandez was secretly gay. An Investigation Discovery documentary about the disgraced pro athlete featured an account by a man named Dennis SanSoucie, who claimed he and Hernandez had a sexual relationship when they were teenagers.

According to a Boston Globe article, Hernandez admitted to being gay shortly before his suicide, but blamed it on sexual abuse he claimed he suffered as a child.

Another televised report, "Aaron Hernandez: Jailhouse Lover Tells All," which aired in 2020, featured claims by Hernandez's cellmate, a man named Kyle Kennedy, who claimed that he and Hernandez had been sexually involved during Hernandez's incarceration. Kennedy claimed that he and Hernandez "did everything together" and had sex "once or twice a week, whenever there was a good opportunity."

The news of Rivera's casting was initially reported by IndieWire, which reported that the "West Side Story" actor – who will star in the upcoming feature "Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes" – was, according to producer Nina Jacobson, "grounded, likable, natural, and compelling presence, super-prepared" for the casting process.

"I was thrilled once they brought in a bunch of people, and let Josh rise to the top, which I knew he would," Jacobson told IndieWire. "And we had him all tatted out. He was trained to be huge and muscular; he loved lifting weights."

Another huge presence in the series, in terms of both musculature and name recognition, will be Patrick Schwarzenegger, son of the famed action movie actor and former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Patrick Schwarzenegger has been cast as Denver Broncos player Tim Tebow, a friend of Aaron Hernandez's. The two were teammates in college at the University of Florida.

"This is a bit of a full-circle moment," Vulture noted, "given that Schwarzenegger made his TV debut elsewhere in the Murphyverse (specifically, a 2015 episode of 'Scream Queens')."

"Production on the series had begun earlier this year but is currently on hold due to the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike," Vulture recalled. "Both roles were cast earlier this year prior to the strike but never confirmed by FX."

Have a look at a few of Rivera's thirsty Instagram pics.