California socialite Lisette Lee claimed to be many things, among them a singer, actress, model, and, most importantly, heiress to the Samsung fortune. Those were proven false, but, in 2010, the phony celebutante did become one of the most notorious drug mules in recent history when she was caught trafficking 500 pounds of marijuana into Ohio.
Her criminal activities – which later earned Lee a six-year sentence – caught the public’s attention, including writer Sabrina Rubin Erdely, who recounted the stranger-than-fiction story of a bigger-than-life personality last month in her Rolling Stone article The Gangster Princess of Beverly Hills. Now, just weeks after its publication, Paramount wants to adapt that piece for the big screen.
Variety reports that the studio is in talks to acquire to Erdely’s work, making it one of several Rolling Stone articles optioned over the last year. Considering the recent interest in pretty brats-turned-criminals stories – namely the TIFF selection Spring Breakers and Sofia Coppola‘s upcoming Bling Ring – Gangster Princess of Beverly Hills should fit right in.
Are you familiar with Lisette Lee? Do you think her story would make an interesting film?