‘Untitled Kay Scarpetta Project’ SPOILERS: Patricia Cornwell’s ‘Scarpetta’ Movie Coule Be Happening Soon

By KJ Mariño

Aug 02, 2015 06:00 AM EDT

The "Untitled Kay Scarpetta Project" might be happening soon after almost six years when the clamor about the movie was last heard. Now, Patricia Cornwell's "Scarpetta" crime novels take a step closer to the big screen as a writer and producers have come on board the project.

Far back in 2009, 20^th Century Fox bought the rights to Patricia Cornwell's "Scarpetta" novels in hopes for a movie franchise. In the planned "Untitled Kay Scarpetta Project," Angelina Jolie was reportedly the chosen actress to play the role of medical examiner Kay Scarpetta, who has grown into an international phenomenon for over two decades. While Kerry Williamson was writing the screenplay, avid Scarpetta fans heard nothing and Williamson adapted James Patterson's Alex Cross, Empire Online reported a couple of weeks ago.

Since Cornwell's readers keep on fighting, the "Untitled Kay Scarpetta Project" might be happening soon. According to Den of Geek, Liz Friedman, who has regular writing and producing gigs on TV series like "Elementary," "Orange Is The New Black" and "House M.D.," was hired to write a new "Scarpetta" screenplay. Friedman's Netflix/Marvel's "Jessica Jones" colleague and showrunner Melissa Rosenberg will also join the crew as a producer, alongside Mark Gordon and Geyer Kosinski, who is also Jolie's manager.

With the script for the "Untitled Kay Scarpetta Project" now underway, its plot was reportedly based on an original forensic science-centric story based on the Scarpetta character rather than a direct movie adaptation of one specific Patricia Cornwell novel such as "The Body Farm" or "From Potter's Field," Dark Horizons hinted.

The "Untitled Kay Scarpetta Project" marks Friedman's first feature film deal for Friedman, who also co-wrote the pilot to "Orange Is The New Black," which garnered her an Emmy nomination, Deadline noted. While there's no official confirmation at the moment, Friedman and Rosenberg's "Jessica Jones" is expected to premiere on Netflix later this year.