There are few celebrity stories as fascinating as JT Leroy’s. The author behind the beloved "non-fiction" bestseller “The Heart is Deceitful Above All Things” (which was turned into a 2004 film by Asia Argento) earned the kind of status the writer’s don’t often receive, rubbing shoulders with folks like Marilyn Manson, Shirley Manson, Courtney Love, and Billy Corgan. But all of that changed when, in 2006, JT Leroy was revealed to be the creation of Laura Albert, who furthered the duplicity by having Savannah Knoop play LeRoy in public. And now, that wild story is coming to the big screen.
THR reports that Kristen Stewart, James Franco, and Helena Bonham Carter will star in "JT LeRoy." Justin Kelly, who previously directed Franco in "I Am Michael," will be behind the camera and pen the script for this one, which is based on Knoop’s memoir. Kyle Buchanan at Vulture adds that Stewart would play Knoop, with Carter as Laura Albert. Even more, the central romance of the movie would be between Knoop and Asia Argento (who thought she was in a relationship with LeRoy).
The project is headed to the European Film Market, where buyers will be taking a look, and hopefully giving this the juice to get in front of cameras.