Charlize Theron to Produce & Possibly Star In Biopic of War Journalist Marie Colvin

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by Ryan Gowland
August 30, 2012 9:17 AM
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There were quite a few questions left unanswered in this summer's "Prometheus," but what was clearly not in question was Charlize Theron's willingness to try different projects in a variety of genres. Following a few years off, Theron's performances in "Snow White and the Huntsman" and "Young Adult" proved that the actress can still be as fearless as her gutsy, Oscar-winning turn in "Monster." "Young Adult" also saw Theron do double duty as a producer and it seems that the actress isn't ready to stop producing her own projects, with plans in place to team up with producer Basil Iwanyk ("The Town," "The Expendables 2") for a movie about the late war journalist Marie Colvin.

THR reports that Iwanyk and Thunder Road's Peter Lawson have optioned the Vanity Fair article "Marie Colvin’s Private War," and Theron and her Denver and Delilah Films partners Beth Kono and AJ Dix are in talks to produce the film as well. While Theron is not confirmed to play Colvin, there is a chance she may step in as well as Theron typically appears in the movies she produces, including John Madden's upcoming comedy "Murder Mystery" that she joined in June.

Written by Marie Brenner (who also write the article that eventually became Michael Mann's "The Insider"), the heartbreaking must-read article chronicles the life of Colvin, who had covered conflicts in Kosovo and Chechnya and lost an eye to a grenade in Sri Lanka. Colvin was writing about the Syrian civil war for the British paper The Sunday Times when a building she was in was shelled by the Syrian Army in February. Colvin was 56 years old.

The subject matter is truly heavy stuff, but having Theron attached -- and potentially starring in -- would give the project wider appeal. The search is on for a screenwriter to adapt the article, at which point Theron can decide whether she wants to play Colvin or not.

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