Peter Kramer / AP Photo
It was only a matter of time until the story of Amanda Knox, the attractive U.S. exchange student sentenced to 26 years in prison by an Italian trial jury for the brutal murder of her roommate, would receive the Hollywood treatment. Hayden Panettiere (Heroes) will star as Knox in a TV movie for Lifetime that is tentatively titled The Amanda Knox Story. Knox’s story has captivated the media thanks to her wholesome good looks–her nickname became “Foxy Knoxy”–and the terribly violent nature of the crime. Knox and her Italian boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito were arrested in 2007 and accused in the stabbing murder of Knox’s roommate, 21-year-old Meredith Kercher, after a night allegedly fueled by sex and drugs. The couple, along with Ivory Coast native Rudy Guede, were alleged to have sexually assaulted Kercher before Knox cut her throat with a knife–seeking vengeance on her critical, “prissy roommate,” as described by prosecutors. After an 11-month trial, Knox was sentenced to 26 years in prison last December. The project, directed by Oscar-nominated documentary filmmaker Robert Dornhelm, comes courtesy of reality producer Craig Piligian (Ghost Hunters), and is set to air in 2011.