‘The Curious Case of Natalia Grace’ Producers Reveal How They Decided to Make Season 3
The drama surrounding Natalia Grace, the Ukrainian-born American adoptee, continues with new revelations. Just when producers Eric and Shannon Evangelista, as well as ID boss Jason Sarlanis thought the saga had concluded, they received a shocking call from Natalia’s new adoptive family, Bishop Antwon and Cynthia Mans, a call that changed everything, The Hollywood Reporter claims.
It was Christmas Eve, and the Mans family had concerns about Natalia’s well-being. They claimed something wasn’t right with her, leading the Evangelistas to return to the story, camera in hand.
The next chapter of Natalia’s journey, featured in The Curious Case of Natalia Grace: The Final Chapter, picks up where the previous seasons left off. As of 2023, Natalia is 22 years old, but life with the Mans family proves to be just as troubling as her earlier years with the Barnetts.
The Mans family had adopted her after she was abandoned by her former parents, Kristine and Michael Barnett. The Barnetts had raised Natalia with the belief she was a dangerous adult pretending to be a child, a claim that the documentary series disproved.
The new four-part series digs into the alleged physical and financial abuse Natalia suffered under the Manses’ care. Though Natalia doesn’t confirm or deny these allegations, she eventually escapes with the help of Nicole and Vince DePaul, a couple who had expressed interest in adopting her in the past.
The Mans family, however, has a very different story. Despite being offered the chance to respond to the accusations, they choose not to engage with the filmmakers.
The Evangelistas were not given much lead time before they found themselves filming Natalia’s escape, an event that shocked even the most seasoned members of the crew:
Eric, in the intro to this final series, you say that you’d thought Natalia had her happy ending. Did you have any suspicions about the Mans family or any other parts of this story while working on season two?
ERIC EVANGELISTA No, we thought it was over, but you always have to keep an open mind. You never know when a story is going to end.
SHANNON EVANGELISTA To me, there was no indication that this wasn’t a completely happy ending for Natalia. We were actually shocked when the phone call came in learning that there is a lot more to this story. We thought she was finally getting this happy ending and instead it took a complete turn and became this murky uncertainty.
Source: THR
As the series progresses, it shows Natalia beginning to make decisions for herself, including a life-changing trip to the UK to meet Neil. This marks a hopeful moment in Natalia’s story, as she finally takes control of her life and embraces her own agency.
Though the Mans family has refused to respond to abuse claims, the series continues to probe the complex dynamics at play. Law enforcement has also declined to comment on the investigation, but they were alerted when allegations of abuse arose.
As for the future of Natalia’s story, the series wraps up with an open-ended look at what might come next for her:
In Part Four, Natalia goes to the U.K. to meet Neil for the first time. Did you attempt to follow her on that trip?
SHANNON No, that’s her doing her thing. There’s no reason for it. We were very excited for Natalia, especially because Natalia finally has had her age corrected and is able to be the 21-year-old girl that she always wanted to be celebrating her 21st birthday.
One thing that’s amazing about this series is you see someone who finally, for the first time in their life, gets to make their own choices. Embracing Natalia’s agency, I think, is part of the narrative of this final chapter and it’s something we’re really proud of for her and excited for her in the future.
Even though this iteration of the series is labeled “The Final Chapter,” is there a world where this story could continue?
SARLANIS All I’ll say is I haven’t gotten a phone call, so I can promise you, thus far, it’s not like last time. But I think that’s part of why we’re so excited about evolving this with a spinoff series with Beth Karas. Whether or not Natalia’s story is ever revisited, a lot of that will have to do with Natalia, but there’s so many other stories.
I was shocked at what came back when we initially started to develop what a spinoff could be. Natalia’s nowhere near the twistiest, turniest story that Eric and Sharon have found, and I’m a little bit upset about that.
Source: THR
While The Curious Case of Natalia Grace: The Final Chapter brings this particular story to a close, a new spin-off series hosted by legal analyst Beth Karas will explore even more cases of strange and twisted real-life stories, promising that things will only get weirder from here.
The latest chapter of Natalia’s story will air on January 6 and 7, from 9-11 p.m. ET/PT and will stream on Max.
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