Jennifer Morrison, co-star of Fox's hit medical drama "House," has been
tapped to star in the Lifetime original telefilm "The Murder of Princess Diana."
The movie -- produced by Working Title Television, sister company to
U.K.-based Working Title Films ("United 93") -- is a fictionalized account of
the book by Noel Botham, which theorized that the Paris tunnel car crash that
claimed the lives of the Princess of Wales, her companion, Dodi Fayed, and their
chauffeur, Henri Paul, was a conspiracy. Morrison will play an American
journalist who witnesses the crash and starts her own investigation after
becoming suspicious about the official version of the events surrounding Diana's
death.
"Murder" is filming in Luxembourg and Paris for a targeted premiere in
August, timed to coincide with the 10th anniversary of Diana's death.
Lifetime Networks president of entertainment Susanne Daniels said that
Diana's death remains viewed as an "unsolved mystery" and noted that a recent
BBC poll found that 31 percent of British citizens surveyed believe that her
death was not an accident.
"In this movie, we are sharing a dramatic story that will appeal to millions
of people's continued fascination with both the facts and speculation
surrounding the case," she said.
John Strickland is directing the movie from a teleplay by Emma Reeves and Reg
Gadney.
"This is the first-ever dramatic portrayal of events around the evening of
and immediately after Diana's tragic death," Wright said. "It raises some very
difficult questions."
In addition to "House," Morrison's credits include a recurring role on
"Dawson's Creek" and the films "Mr. & Mrs. Smith," "Surviving Christmas,"
"Intersection," "Mall Cop" and "Stir of Echoes."