14 DAY TRIAL // Despite speculation to the contrary, Lindsay Lohan has officially landed the part in the upcoming Lifetime Elizabeth Taylor biopic. Executive producer Larry Thompson says she was always the only real contender for the part.
Though Lindsay confirmed her involvement in the “Liz & Dick” film in interviews promoting her SNL appearance, until just hours ago, she hadn't signed on the dotted line.
This made many believe she was still running the risk of being dropped from the project before it went into production.
If so, the signing of the contract should put rumors to rest.
Speaking with E! News, the exec says Lindsay was “the one” from the get-go and that she was never really in any danger of losing the part to someone else.
However, he explains, they put off closing the deal to allow her to work out other problems in her life, which is why an announcement wasn't made until now.
“We have wanted Lindsay from day one. She had a lot in her life that was going on,” Thompson says for the aforementioned media outlet.
“We needed to give her time to take care of her business, and while we negotiated the deal for her we prayed for her – and wonderfully she has behaved. She’s cleared herself and we’re ready to start this movie,” the exec adds.
“We truly feel that Lindsay Lohan is perfect for Elizabeth Taylor for our movie… I think Lindsay – who is very gifted – deserved another chance. We never, of three pages of ‘what if’s’ in the negotiation, there never was ‘what if she can’t act.’ We know she can act,” Thompson goes on to say.
Shooting for the Lifetime biopic, which will hopefully mark Lindsay's comeback as a serious thespian, will start in LA – not in Canada, as previously reported.
In separate statements also cited by E! News, both Lindsay and the Lifetime Executive Vice President Rob Sharenow profess to be thrilled about the idea of working together, especially on a film about such a wonderful woman and ultimate screen siren as Dame Elizabeth herself.