James Mangold To Direct Elle Fanning In A Patty Hearst Film

James Mangold and Elle Fanning

by James White |
Published on

Just a few days ago, we were hearing about a new potential film from Logan's James Mangold, one added to the list of several he's developing. It appears that an unexpected new entry has leapt over the rest to become his focus: an untitled biopic about kidnapped heiress Patty Hearst that has Elle Fanning in talks to star.

Larry Karaszewski and Scott Alexander began the process of adapting Jeffrey Toobin's book on the Hearst case (but will not use its title, American Heiress) and Mangold will leap into the scripting process.

The trio will also draw on Toobin's reporting of the case, with the heiress's capture and two-year detainment by the Symbionese Liberation Army in the mid-1970s, as well as her transition from hostage to warrior. She ended up sympathising with her captors and even went on bank robberies with them before she was arrested in 1975.

It's a compelling tale for a director who has made good movies out of true-life stories in the past, and Fanning would certainly seem to be a good fit as the lead. 20th Century Fox is backing the film via its Fox 2000 label, and we'll see if it all comes together.

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