Okay, Lifetime. After months of speculation, the network has now announced that Lindsay Lohan is set to play Elizabeth Taylor in the their Original Movie, Liz & Dick. The film will center on Taylor’s “historic romance” with Richard Burton (a role that has yet to be cast). With the film set to start filming in June, that announcement is imminent, and it will be quite interesting to see just which direction the network plans to go with the role, with them going completely insane with their Taylor casting and all.
Rob Sharenow, Executive Vice President, Programming, of Lifetime Networks commented, “We are thrilled Lindsay will portray beloved Hollywood legend Elizabeth Taylor…She is one of the rare actresses who possesses the talent, beauty and intrigue to capture the spirit of such a provocative icon.” Um. Alright. Lohan piped in, “I have always admired and had enormous respect for Elizabeth Taylor. She was not only an incredible actress but an amazing woman as well. I am very honored to have been asked to play this role.” At this point, the controversial actress should be pleased to be getting any roles.
Lohan has been rumored for the role since January, but this is the first official announcement from Lifetime. In February, news broke that Lohan had locked up the role, but that it came with a stipulation ‐ that the actress “stay on the right side of the court.” Back then, I mused that the production could prove to be more adept at keeping Lohan on the straight and narrow, and while that could still happen, it’s not looking good so far. Lohan’s troubles with the law have been well-documented (though not often suitably punished), and though she recently completed her court-mandated community service, she is already back in the tabloid news, thanks to a series of run-ins with other people at, surprise surprise!, nightclubs around Los Angeles.
Of course, it is entirely possible that Lohan will reform herself (and her career) and that we’ll all later look back at this casting as the major turning point in her life ‐ perhaps she’ll look to someone like Robert Downey, Jr. for inspiration when it comes to making big changes. But let’s not hold our collective breath. [Press Release]