Oprah Winfrey Biopic Announced

The queen of daytime TV will soon be moving to primetime, if all goes according to plan. Veteran producer Larry A. Thompson announced Monday that he plans to make a two-to-four-hour film based on Oprah Winfrey’s life as depicted in Kitty Kelley’s infamous biography of the talk show host. Thompson told the Associated Press he optioned the biopic for a whopping six figures. The airdate—September 2011—coincides with the end of Winfrey’s show, which has been on air for a quarter century. Thompson—a self-proclaimed “huge fan” of Winfrey—said an unknown actress is likely to play the woman who topped Forbes’ Celebrity 100 list. A spokesperson for Winfrey’s company, Harpo Productions, declined to comment. One Wall Street Journal blogger reports that the upcoming project is cause for concern, saying, “Though it is not yet clear which tidbits will make their way to the screen, the timing is hardly ideal for Winfrey.”