The Normal Heart, executed produced by Emmy® winner Ryan Murphy and Oscar and Golden Globe winner Brad Pitt, is the story of the outbreak of an unidentified disease, now known as HIV/AIDS, during the early 1980s in New York City, and is based on the Tony award-winning play of the same name by Larry Kramer. Kramer used many of his own experiences to create the character Ned Weeks (Mark Ruffalo), on whom the movie focuses.