Hayden Panettiere and Amanda Knox: Without fighting movie: CBS News has learned that reports of Amanda Knox's lawyers trying to stop a film about the convicted killer are not true. Heroes star Hayden Panettiere is reportedly on board to play the 23-year-old American who, with her Italian lover, Raffaele Sollecito, was convicted in an Italian court of killing her British roommate Meredith Kercher. On Thursday, the New York Post reported that Knox's lawyers were trying to stop "The Amanda Knox Story," set to appear on Lifetime.
But sources close to the case, told CBS News' 48 Hours producers that Knox didn't know about the film and has no plans to oppose it. They clarified, that it is Sollecito's legal team that wants to stop it. Meanwhile, the mother of the victim isn't happy either. She told the Daily Mail: "I don't see how they can make a film called The Amanda Knox Story when the story is really all about my daughter. It's all very odd.
Knox and Sollecito were convicted of murdering Kercher in Perugia, Italy. Both were given more than 20 years in jail. The pair have maintained their innocence and are currently challenging their prison sentences. A third man, their alleged accomplice, was tried and convicted separately for the killing. He is also contesting the ruling. The appeals are due to be heard in court later this year, while the Lifetime project is currently slated to air in 2011.