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Lifetime Television Greenlights the Lifetime Original Movie, 'The Memory Keeper's Daughter,' Based on Kim Edwards' Best-Selling Novel
DGA Award-Winner Mick Jackson('Live From Baghdad,' 'Tuesdays With Morrie')
To Direct
Popular Novel Has Spent Sixty Weeks on The New York Times Best Seller List
and Named USA Today's 'Book of the Year' for 2006
LOS ANGELES, Aug. 22 -- Building on a successful history
of turning beloved books into original movies, Lifetime adds Kim Edwards'
best- selling, critically acclaimed novel The Memory Keeper's Daughter to
the roster, ordering production of the Lifetime Original Movie of the same
name, it was announced today by Susanne Daniels, President, Entertainment,
Lifetime Networks. Named by USA Today as their "Book of the Year" for 2006,
the novel has five million copies in print and has spent sixty weeks on The
New York Times Best Seller list, holding the number one spot for seven
weeks. DGA Award-winning and Emmy(R) nominated director Mick Jackson ("Live
from Baghdad," "Tuesdays with Morrie") has signed on to helm the project.
Casting is currently underway. "The Memory Keeper's Daughter" will premiere
in 2008 on Lifetime Television.
"The enormous popularity of The Memory Keeper's Daughter has been
phenomenal and we're proud to bring this story to life for fans of the
book," said Daniels. Adding, "We're also thrilled to be working with Mick
Jackson, an incredibly respected top director who will lend a keen eye and
create what will surely be an 'event' for Lifetime and our viewers."
In "The Memory Keeper's Daughter," a secret shapes the lives of two
families over a quarter of a century, beginning in 1964. During a
paralyzing winter storm, Dr. David Henry is forced to deliver his own twin
babies. With his wife Norah under heavy sedation, he welcomes a healthy
son, Paul, and a daughter, Phoebe, who has Down's syndrome. Hoping to spare
his wife any heartache for having to care for a special needs child, David
tells Norah their daughter died at birth and orders the nurse, Caroline, to
place Phoebe in an institution. However, unable to abandon the newborn, the
nurse secretly decides to raise Phoebe as her own in another city. As years
pass, the two families' lives are in stark contrast to each other. David's
overwhelming guilt surrounding his deception shatters the Henry's marriage
and Norah mourns the loss of their child. Meanwhile, Caroline's
relationship with Phoebe becomes the most rewarding and fulfilling
experience of her life.
A renowned feature film and television director, producer and author,
Mick Jackson is best known for directing "The Bodyguard," starring Whitney
Houston and Kevin Costner, and "Tuesdays with Morrie," starring Jack
Lemmon, for which he received a DGA Award. He also received two additional
DGA Awards and two Emmy(R) nominations for his direction of HBO's "Live
from Baghdad" and "Indictment: The McMartin Trial." His other television
credits include "Numb3rs," "Jack and Bobby," "A Very British Coup," Life
Story" and "Threads."
Author Kim Edwards has also penned an award-winning short story
collection, The Secrets of a Fire King. A graduate of the Iowa Writers'
Workshop, she currently teaches writing at the University of Kentucky.
Other books previously adapted into popular movies by Lifetime include
four titles from Nora Roberts including "Nora Roberts' Angels Fall" with
Heather Locklear and "Nora Roberts' Montana Sky" with John Corbett; Jodi
Picoult's "The Pact" and "Plain Truth"; Joyce Carol Oates' "We Were the
Mulvaneys"; Luanne Rice's "Beach Girls"; and Sue Monk Kidd's "The Mermaid
Chair."
"The Memory Keeper's Daughter" is produced by Jaffe/Braunstein Films
for Lifetime Television. Howard Braunstein and Michael Jaffe (Lifetime's
"Odd Girl Out," "Elvis") serve as executive producers. John Pielmeier
("Hitler: The Rise of Evil") wrote the teleplay, to be directed by Jackson.
LIFETIME is the leader in women's television and one of the top-rated
basic cable television networks. A diverse, multi-media company, LIFETIME
is committed to offering the highest quality entertainment and information
programming, and advocating a wide range of issues affecting women and
their families. LIFETIME Television, LMN, Lifetime Real Women and Lifetime
Digital (including LifetimeTV.com) are part of LIFETIME Entertainment
Services, a 50/50 joint venture of The Hearst Corporation and The Walt
Disney Company.
SOURCE Lifetime Networks
http://www.lifetimetv.com
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