The Murderous Miss Highsmith: Shailene Woodley stars in horror-edged biopic

The works of author Patricia Highsmith have inspired such films as Strangers on a Train, Purple Noon, Enough Rope, The American Friend, Tell Her That I Love Her, The Glass Cell, a couple different versions of Deep Water, The Talented Mr. Ripley, Ripley’s Game, Ripley Under Ground, The Cry of the Owl, The Two Faces of January, Carol, and A Kind of Murder, among others. Her stories have also served as the basis for a lot of television, including an upcoming Showtime mini-series titled Ripley. Now, Deadline reports that Shailene Woodley (The Spectacular Now) has signed on to star in a film about Highsmith’s life – but this biopic is said to “reimagine the author’s life as a horror movie”. The title is The Murderous Miss Highsmith, and Woodley is being joined in the cast by Cara Delevingne (Carnival Row) and Noémie Merlant (Portrait of a Lady on Fire).

According to Deadline, The Murderous Miss Highsmith will focus on the formative period just before she wrote her most celebrated work, The Talented Mr. Ripley, which was partly inspired by her doomed relationships with two women. The project aims to get inside the mind of the author, who will be played by Emmy-nominee Woodley, and reveal her fascination for gruesome murders, exploring how her tumultuous love life influenced her persona. Delevingne and Merlant will both face off against Woodley as her companions.

Alexandra Pechman will be making his feature directorial debut with this film. Christine Vachon and Gabriel Mayers are producing for Killer Films. Filming is scheduled to take place in Italy this fall.

Memento is handling international distribution sales at the Cannes Film Festival, and they provided the following statement: “This is such a unique way to explore someone’s legacy, while implementing their world into their life story. The script goes from idyllic Italian settings to gruesome murder fantasies with a strong inspiration from her work. This is a new take to the biopic genre that will definitely leave a mark on the audience.“

I’m a fan of Woodley’s acting work and have enjoyed several Highsmith stories, so I’m looking forward to seeing how The Murderous Miss Highsmith is going to turn out. It sounds like a very interesting approach to a biopic.

How does The Murderous Miss Highsmith sound to you? Let us know by leaving a comment below.