Boston Magazine |
The Show Must Go On
Is the Neil Entwistle drama headed for a bookstore and movie theater near you?
By Francis Storrs
Conventional wisdom says the trial of accused killer Neil Entwistle will be a slam-dunk for prosecutors. The potential market for Entwistle-themed movies and books appears a bit murkier.
Elaine Rogers of Fish & Richardson, the firm that had a hand in a TV movie on JonBenet Ramsey and a bestseller about O.J. Simpson, says that for Hollywood, the Entwistle story could serve as a sequel to the Scott Peterson case, which led to at least 10 books and a TV potboiler starring Dean Cain. “It seems to have all those elements that we saw in the Peterson case: the spouse living the double life, the beautiful mother, and the unborn—or nine-month-old—child.” But entertainment lawyer George Tobia Jr. (he repped Hunter S. Thompson in the film deal for Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas) has his doubts about the sordid affair’s cinematic potential. “The story, while it’s salacious, doesn’t have a redemption factor. It’s just a straight-out tragedy.” Tragic storylines, Tobia says, can spawn movie scripts when there’s either a celebrity involved or unanswered questions. “The noose going around Scott Peterson’s neck was slow in tightening—it made more of a murder mystery,” Tobia says. “So far the Entwistle case seems really open and shut.”
Adds Tobia, “Could five or 10 books pop up? Sure, like mushrooms.” One is already in the works: St. Martin’s Press tapped Brian McDonald, author of the forthcoming Safe Harbor: A Murder in Nantucket, to cover the case. McDonald’s early research hints at dark days in Entwistle’s hometown of Worksop, England. “It was a very rough place to grow up,” he says.
As cinematic as that rough and tumble background could be, McDonald isn’t anxious to see his work optioned for the big screen. “I’m an old-fashioned guy, and I like happy endings,” he says. “This story does not have a happy ending.”
Elaine Rogers of Fish & Richardson, the firm that had a hand in a TV movie on JonBenet Ramsey and a bestseller about O.J. Simpson, says that for Hollywood, the Entwistle story could serve as a sequel to the Scott Peterson case, which led to at least 10 books and a TV potboiler starring Dean Cain. “It seems to have all those elements that we saw in the Peterson case: the spouse living the double life, the beautiful mother, and the unborn—or nine-month-old—child.” But entertainment lawyer George Tobia Jr. (he repped Hunter S. Thompson in the film deal for Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas) has his doubts about the sordid affair’s cinematic potential. “The story, while it’s salacious, doesn’t have a redemption factor. It’s just a straight-out tragedy.” Tragic storylines, Tobia says, can spawn movie scripts when there’s either a celebrity involved or unanswered questions. “The noose going around Scott Peterson’s neck was slow in tightening—it made more of a murder mystery,” Tobia says. “So far the Entwistle case seems really open and shut.”
Adds Tobia, “Could five or 10 books pop up? Sure, like mushrooms.” One is already in the works: St. Martin’s Press tapped Brian McDonald, author of the forthcoming Safe Harbor: A Murder in Nantucket, to cover the case. McDonald’s early research hints at dark days in Entwistle’s hometown of Worksop, England. “It was a very rough place to grow up,” he says.
As cinematic as that rough and tumble background could be, McDonald isn’t anxious to see his work optioned for the big screen. “I’m an old-fashioned guy, and I like happy endings,” he says. “This story does not have a happy ending.”
Originally published in Boston magazine, April 2006
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