Keira Knightley has signed on to star in a movie based on infamous serial killer the Boston Strangler. Crown Heights creator Matt Ruskin has written the script and will direct the film, which boasts both Ridley Scott and Margot Robbie as producers.
Knightley will play Loretta McLaughlin, with the film following her groundbreaking investigation into the titular murderer. McLaughlin was the first reporter to connect the series of deaths and break the story that Boston had a serial killer on its hands.
She teamed up with fellow journalist Jean Cole to report on the case and keep local women up to date on the latest developments, while having to fight the inherent sexism from within their own industry.
Interestingly, McLaughlin also ended up uncovering a web of corruption that potentially cast doubt on the true identity of the Strangler, and the film will reportedly tackle that as well. Ruskin – who is a Boston native – apparently tracked down the families of McLaughlin and Cole and their research from the time, so there should be an impressive level of detail in the film.
This is also technically a Disney movie, as Mouse House subsidiary 20th Century Studios are behind the project.
This sounds like it has a lot of potential. Of course there have been films about tracking down serial killers before, and even films about the Boston Strangler, but the mix of McLaughlin’s hunt for the killer, combined with her struggle against internal misogyny, with the added twist of potential doubt over the true identity of the killer, gives this plenty of interesting angles to explore.
Knightley’s latest roles are the lead in British-American Christmas comedy Silent Night, which arrives in December, and voicing the lead in internationally produced animated film, Charlotte, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival last month.
Production on the new Boston Strangler movie will begin this December in, you guessed it, Boston.
#Peace.Love.KeiraKnightley
