Duff will star as the murdered actress in psychological horror film 'The Haunting of Sharon Tate', while Smith will portray the serial killer in 'Charlie Says' from 'American Psycho' director.
- Feb 7, 2018
AceShowbiz - More feature films inspired by the gruesome murder of Sharon Tate and her killer Charles Manson are coming. "The Haunting of Sharon Tate" is currently in development at Skyline Entertainment, while "American Psycho" director Mary Harron is making "Charlie Says".
Hilary Duff is cast in the first project, a psychological horror film, as the slain actress. Rounding out the cast are Jonathan Bennett ("Mean Girls"), who plays Tate's protective ex-boyfriend and confidant, and Lydia Hearst.
Written and to be directed by Daniel Farrands, "Haunting" "takes a look at the last days leading up to Tate's murder from her point of view," Deadline reports. "The plot is inspired by an actual quote from Tate, from an interview published a year before her death, wherein she reveals having dreams about ghosts haunting her house and foreseeing her own death at the hands of a satanic cult."
Duff last starred in a feature film in 2016's comedy "Flock of Dudes". She is currently a series regular on TV Land's comedy-drama series "Younger".
As for "Charlie Says", it has tapped "Doctor Who" alum Matt Smith as the serial killer, with Suki Waterhouse being cast in an undisclosed role. They join Hannah Murray ("Game of Thrones", "Detroit"), Odessa Young ("Assassination Nation", "Richard Says Goodbye"), Marianne Rendon ("Imposters", "Gemini"), Carla Gugino ("Sin City", "Watchmen"), Kaylie Carter ("Godless", "Rings") and Emmy-winning actress Merritt Wever ("Godless", "Nurse Jackie") in the cast.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the film will "focus on the three young women (Murray, Young and Rendon) who were sentenced to death following the infamous murder case of Manson. When the death penalty was lifted, their sentence became life imprisonment. One young graduate student, Karlene Faith (Wever), was sent in to teach them, and through her the film will follow their transformations as they face the reality of their horrific crimes."
It is written by Guinevere Turner ("American Psycho") based on source material from Ed Sanders' 1971 best-selling book "The Family", as well as "The Long Prison Journey of Leslie Van Houten" written by Faith. The filming will begin this spring in L.A. and the movie will be introduced to buyers in Berlin later this month.
Smith starred in the first and second season of historical drama "The Crown". As for Waterhouse, the British model/actress starred on miniseries "The White Princess" and in upcoming movie "A Rainy Day in New York". She recently landed a role in "Detective Pikachu" alongside Ryan Reynolds.
