Truth behind Friends screenplay written by Erik Menendez before murdering parents

Ever since Netflix's latest Monsters series hit the platform, the crimes of Erik and Lyle Menendez have received huge attention worldwide, catapulting them back into the spotlight more than three decades on.

Of course, naturally fans have been intrigued over which details in the series actually happened in real life.

And one question specifically they've been asking is did Erik Menendez really write a screenplay with his friend depicting the future murder of his parents?

If you're going to commit murder, it seems pretty silly so write an entire script about how exactly you're going to do it.

But in the Netflix show portraying the story of the Menendez brothers, Erik and his friend Craig Cignarelli, wrote an entire screenplay called Friends, coincidentally foreseeing exactly how he and his brother would kill their parents.

The controversial nine-part series aims to recount the story of the wealthy Beverly Hills brothers, who violently shot their parents at close range back in 1989.

The boys later testified that they had been subjected to years of abuse at the hands of their father - including sexual, physical and mental - and said that was the motive behind the murders, while the prosecution argued it was about money.

The series has divided opinion, with many claiming that the show has major inaccuracies to 'sensationalise' their crimes.

Erik and his friend Craig wrote the screenplay together. (Netflix)

But did Erik and Craig actually write the film in real life, and how accurate was it?

According to the L.A. Times, the screenplay is a real part of the story - Erik really did write the play.

The plot focused on an 18-year-old boy - the same age as Erik when the murders were committed - named Hamilton Cromwell.

However, in the 66-page play they wrote, he kills five people, including a previous girlfriend and his parents.

The pair's trial became a media circus (Ted Soqui/Sygma via Getty Images)

This was after he learned that he had an inheritance waiting for him of $157 million.

Craig later noted how similar the murders of parents Jose and Kitty Menendez were to that of the murders in the play.

Talking to ABC News, he said: "It happened to coincide with what happened on the night of the murders."

However, it was never proven that the two scenarios were actually related.

In fact, Erik and Lyle maintain to this day that there was no financial motivation behind the killing of their parents - rather that it was as a result of the abusive childhood they suffered.

Just after the Monsters series was released on Netflix, it has now been announced that a new documentary that the brothers have worked on will also be released to the platform next week (October 7).

• Reason why Erik and Lyle Menendez were denied parole after killing their parents’ over three decades ago
• Erik Menendez given major update at parole hearing decades after parents’ murder
• What will happen now to Erik and Lyle Menendez as reason they were denied parole revealed
• Mackenzie Shirilla sent Dominic Russo disturbing texts before fatal crash