Hollywood to make movie of Daniel Pearl book

LOS ANGELES, May 9, 2006 (AFP) – Hollywood will make a thriller based on French philosopher Bernard-Henri Levy’s book ‘Who Killed Daniel Pearl?’ about the US reporter’s murder by Islamic militants, the film producers told AFP on Monday, confirming a report in the Daily Variety trade publication.

Beacon Pictures has lined up actor Josh Lucas to star in the movie about the Wall Street Journal journalist killed after being kidnapped in the Pakistani city of Karachi in January 2002 where he was investigating Islamic militancy.

Filmmaker Kip Williams, who made ‘Door in the Floor’, will direct the as yet untitled movie, Levy confirmed in a telephone interview with AFP.

“I am really pleased if this can contribute to the memory of Daniel Pearl and to the debate and the roots of terrorism,” Levy said.

“It will be a film in honour of Daniel Pearl and it will be a film about international terrorism,” he added.

In his book, Levy described his own risky journey to Pakistan to investigate Pearl’s disappearance and outlines his theory that Pearl may have uncovered complicity between the Pakistani secret services and al-Qaeda.

In the film, the main character, to be played by Lucas, has however been transformed from a French author into an American television journalist called Henry Bernard, Levy told AFP.

Production on the film is scheduled to begin in the second half of this year and location scouts are already eyeing areas of Morocco, Dubai, India, Libya and Tunisia for filming, according to the Daily Variety.

The movie’s screenplay — featuring a fictionalized version of Pearl to avoid any clash with a film version of a book by the reporter’s widow, Marianne Pearl — will be written by New York Times Magazine journalist Peter Landesman.

Lucas, 34, has had roles in such films as ‘A Beautiful Mind’ (2001), ‘Sweet Home Alabama’ (2002) with Reese Witherspoon, ‘Secondhand Lions’ with Michael Caine and Robert Duvall and 2003’s ‘Wonderland’ opposite Val Kilmer.

Subject: French news