Anna Nicole, a made-for-TV movie following the life of Anna Nicole Smith will premiere on Lifetime on June 29, as announced by Indiewire. The movie will be directed by Mary Harron and will star Agnes Bruckner as Smith.
Indiewire mentions how it seems strange to have Harron direct the film, as she was the director of American Psycho. However, she also directed a biopic of iconic pin-up Bettie Page in 2005.
Smith became famous after being featured in Playboy as Playmate of the Year in 1993, then marrying 89-year-old J. Howard Marshall II, an oil tycoon. Biography states Smith spent “years fighting for a share of her late husband’s estate.” Becoming even more popular during the controversy, Smith was given her own reality show by E!, which showcased her quirky and odd behavior. Adding to the controversy, Smith’s attorney (and lover) Howard K. Stern was often featured on the show.
After the reality series, Smith became a spokesperson for diet products, where she went on to lose weight and return to modeling and acting. She had just given birth to a daughter when her 20-year-old son Daniel suffered from a drug overdose and died. In addition to the loss, Smith became a part of headlines surrounding a controversy over the custody battle concerning her daughter. Biography reports Smith as dying from a drug overdose in 2007.
Anna Nicole was produced by Sony Pictures Television and written by John Rice and Joe Batteer. The executive producers include Craig Zadan, Neil Meron and Judith Verno.
The TV movie will feature veteran actor Martin Landau as Marshall, and Virginia Madsen as Smith’s mother. Adam Goldberg will play the role of Smith’s attorney Stern. According to Yahoo, actress Bruckner had to dye her hair and wear prosthetics in order to portray Smith realistically. She is famous for her work on ABC’s Private Practice.