Angelina Jolie will lead a new Patricia Cornwell film franchise, playing the author’s hero, Dr. Kay Scarpetta. Fox 2000 has bought the rights to 16 bestselling books starring the forensic detective.
According to Variety, the first film won’t necessarily focus on a particular book, the writers are not “rigidly locked” to the original plots. In that exclusive GalleyCat interview last year, the author discussed her problems with crime fiction.
Here’s more from the article: “Once Jolie sparked to the series, months of negotiations followed … because Cornwell was so protective of her literary property.The deal finally came together after Jolie and [producer Geyer Kosinski] met with the author and found common ground on the creative direction of the feature adaptation.” (Via Edward Champion)