Heroes star (and let’s be honest, the only reason to maybe tune into the show and ogle for the last few seasons) Hayden Panettiere has been cast in the newest ‘based on a true story’ Lifetime Original movie. Panettiere will play Amanda Knox, an American exchange student in Italy who was convicted of murdering her flatmate Meredith Kercher in late 2007. Two others were also convicted.
The crime and subsequent trial received enough prerequisite media attention to warrant the movie adaptation. At the center of the whole ordeal is two beautiful girls, a gruesome crime, an exotic locale, and a bumbled trial which will make a slightly entertaining distraction for a lonely Tuesday night.
Now, I’m all for adapting true stories for television movies. Truth is stranger than fiction, of course. But do we have to adapt every single vicious crime that makes headlines into a made for TV movie with a fading star looking for work who would look good in soft focus with a voice over? I mean, I’m sure the families of both Knox and Kercher are being compensated for the rights to these stories, but is that enough to relive the memories afresh and see their daughters’ fate on screen for the entertainment of millions? Does Lifetime even care about the families or are they just interested in drumming up enough interest to boost their ratings and make the advertisers happy? Maybe I’m being too cynical. I should just grab a pint of some Ben and Jerry’s, wrap up in a blanket, kick my feet back, and watch a Lifetime… ah, crap. Never mind.
Source: Deadline
