Lifetime Will Update Its Amanda Knox Movie, Which Airs Tuesday

Now that Amanda Knox's Italian murder conviction has been overturned, Lifetime is racing to update its TV movie, Amanda Knox: Murder on Trial in Italy. As a stroke of luck for Lifetime, the cable network had already scheduled a re-airing of the film on Tuesday, October 4.

Now Lifetime is planning to quickly add a new brief opening to the movie, an "epilogue" of sorts detailing Monday's news, as well as a new coda on how the new trial ends.

Amanda Knox Freed, Murder Conviction Overturned

Lifetime originally premiered the controversial movie, which stars Hayden Panettiere as Knox (an American who was originally convicted of killing her roommate in Italy), on February 21. The channel and the movie's producers were criticized by both Knox's lawyers and the family of victim Meredith Kercher after promos included scenes of Kercher being assaulted.

Amanda Knox did not air in Italy due to legal reasons, as Knox's case was ongoing at the time. Presumably, now that the case is closed, the movie might finally be shown there. (Insiders say there's no plans to screen the movie in Italy just yet, however, as some legal loose ends remain.)

Last winter Amanda Knox executive producer Craig Piligian told TV Guide Magazine that the producers made sure not to take sides in the debate over Knox's guilt or innocence. "Everyone's divided, and the viewing public will likely be divided as well," Piligian said at the time. "That's what makes this such a great story."

Viewers will have several chances to catch Amanda Knox: Murder On Trial in Italy over the next few days. Besides Tuesday's airing on Lifetime, sister channel Lifetime Movie Network will screen it on Thursday.

Next up, speculation has already begun on which news organization might land the exclusive first interview with Knox. ABC and NBC are considered the early frontrunners, as both news divisions have been on top of the Knox story for some time.

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