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Exclusive: Lifetime has set two new original movies to premiere in the spring, starring Keshia Knight Pulliam, D.B. Woodside and Claire Qute.

Woodside and Qute will star in Taken at a Basketball Game, premiering Saturday, March 15 at 8/7c. Inspired by real events, the movie follows a father desperately searching for his teenage daughter after she is abducted while at a basketball game.

Logline: Desperate to bond with his estranged 18-year-old daughter Robyn (Qute), Wayne Edwards (Woodside) gets them tickets to a basketball game where he envisions them cheering on their favorite team while they reconnect. However, when Robyn goes to the restroom and doesn’t return, Wayne’s worst fear is confirmed when he realizes she’s been kidnapped.

On a mission to find her in a stadium filled with thousands of people, he races against the clock and will stop at nothing...

2021's Girl in the Basement recently sparked debate on which events were real and which were made specifically for the movie.

Girl in the Basement is one of Lifetime's movies that supposedly tells a dramatized version of a true story. It is similar to other Lifetime titles such as Girl in the Closet, Girl in the Bunker, and Girl in the Box. The Girl in the... movies typically follow girls who are kidnapped under different circumstances.

In Girl in the Basement, Sara Cody, a 17-year-old girl, is trapped by her father in the basement of their home so that she won't leave when she turns 18.

Read full article on The Direct.

This article contains discussions of child abuse and sexual assault.

True crime has been a very popular genre for a while now, so it's not surprising that a genuinely horrifying real-life case — which occurred in Austria and came to light in 2008 — served as inspiration for two (admittedly different) movies. So, if you've seen the 2021 Lifetime original film "Girl in the Basement," what is it about ... and how does it connect to real-life events?

Released in 2021, "Girl in the Basement" stars Stefanie Scott as Sarah Cody, a rebellious teenager who's seeing a boy named Chris (Jake Etheridge) and sneaks out to meet up with him against the wishes of her extraordinarily strict father Don. After she returns home, having been out all night, Don does something horrific; he imprisons his own daughter in the soundproofed basement of the Cody family home, unbeknownst to her mother Irene (Joely Fisher) and sister Amy...

In the documentary Girl in the Basement, fans follow the true story of Sara (Elizabeth Fritzl) and her kidnapping. In August of 1984 Don (Josef Fritzl) lured Sara then 18 at the time down into the basement where he proceeded to drug her and lock her up for the next decade. During this time his daughter was gone Don told his wife she had run away to join a cult all while being held prisoner inside her own home. Her mother accepted her then husbands made up stories and never went looking. At the time in 2009, it was deemed that Elizabeth was estranged from her mother.

What Happened To Girl In The Basement?

While in captivity she proceeded to have seven children with Don. One of which didn’t make it due to poor living conditions and lack of medical necessities. She proceeded to convince Don to let her keep three of...

Warning: This article contains spoilers for the Lifetime movie Boy in the Walls!

This article mentions abuse and graphic violence.

Sometimes there's nothing better than a Lifetime movie like Boy in the Walls, and it's even better if they're based on a true story. Recent movies based on true stories like Girl in the Basement show how the network handles ripped-from-the-headlines stories and makes them gripping television, but this mystery is so twisted it seems like a work of Hollywood fiction. The movie begins with Alisa (Ryan Michelle Bathe) who, while still adjusting to the role of stepmother to her husband Chris's children, moves from a busy life in Manhattan to rural Connecticut and begins to feel like someone may be watching them from inside the house.

While her husband is busy with work all the time, things around the house get moved or misplaced, food gets eaten, and she...

This article contains topics discussing sexual assault.

True crime is an exceptionally popular genre in pop culture, inspiring hundreds of documentaries, docuseries, and movies inspired by true events. Despite its popularity, the genre is controversial and is criticized for romanticizing and highlighting heinous crimes. However, portraying the stories of true stories also creates more widespread knowledge about important topics that make viewers more aware of the dangers and depravity of the world.

There are some well-known movies inspired by true crimes that continue to be influential. However, others haven't gotten the attention they deserve or have fallen out of the spotlight despite their initial success. Some of these films, such as The Girl in the Basement, tell the stories of victims who have gone through unimaginable abuse. Others, including Spotlight and Till, highlight important criminal cases that sparked worldwide movements. These movies should not be overlooked, capturing not only the...

Emma Myers is known for her quirky, optimistic roles, but she recently gave a different performance. Myers players an intense, determined character named Pip in A Good Girl's Guide to Murder. The series highlights Myers' versatility as an actress and showcases her range.

Despite having appeared in numerous projects, such as The Baker and the Beauty (2020), Dead of Night (2020), and Girl in the Basement (2021), Emma Myers found her breakthrough role in Netflix's Wednesday. Myers took on the role of bubbly, quirky Enid Sinclair, the perfect foil to protagonist Wednesday Addams, played by Jenna Ortega. With her colorful hair, cheerful outfits, and upbeat personality, Myers' character brought some much-needed vibrancy to the otherwise gloomy, supernatural Wednesday storyline.

Given that Myers found fame as Enid Sinclair, audiences soon came to associate her with roles that were full of character. However, the latest project that Myers stars in puts her in a more intense,...

Former America’s Next Top Model and The Real Housewives of Atlanta cast member Eva Marcille and Harlem and P-Valley’s Tyler Lepley will star in Lifetime’s Buried Alive and Survived. The project is a part of the network’s fall slate of Ripped from the Headlines Movies inspired by true-life stories.

In the made-for-tv movie based on a story by Nigel Campbell, Marcille, who currently appears in the lead role of Marilyn “Madam” DeVille in BET’s All the Queen’s Men, will portray Alicia, a woman fighting to protect herself and her son Malcolm from her ex-husband Victor (Lepley) after he’s released from prison. When Alicia turns down Victor’s attempts at reconciliation, he buries her alive. Yet Alicia proves resilient when she manages to claw her way out of the grave before suffocating. Thus begins her final struggle, as she begins searching for her son, attempting to...

Movies like Girl in the Basement offer a chilling look at the mindset of abusive parents and abductors, with empathy for the trapped victim. Similar films, like Split and Run, delve into captivity and abuse themes, showcasing the disturbing depths individuals can sink into. The harrowing stories depicted in movies like Girl in the Basement, while fictional, are often based on true crime events that shock viewers.

This article discusses films with themes of abuse, sexual assault, and domestic violence.

Movies like Girl in the Basement are often shocking and disturbing, as they are fictional retellings of harrowing true-crime stories. In the case of Girl in the Basement, it tells the disturbing tale of a young woman kidnapped and held captive by her father for over two decades. While there, he sexually abuses her and forces her to have seven children, the last of whom dies after childbirth. Part of...

Lifetime movies based on true stories are a mix of fact and dramatization, capturing some of the most shocking events ever. The Ripped From The Headlines series features movies on felonies and celebrity lives, with captivating performances and storylines. From royal romances to environmental crises, Lifetime's films offer compelling narratives that draw viewers into real-life events.

The Lifetime network produces many brilliant made-for-tv movies about all kinds of extraordinary events, but some of the best are based on true stories. There are plenty of movies that are unbelievably inspired by true stories, but Lifetime is renowned for recreating some of the most shocking events ever. However, these narratives also use a combination of fact and dramatization for the final results, and the format of Lifetimes iconic films often varies.

Lifetime is no stranger to creating movies about real felonies that rival the best true crime TV shows on the market.

Girl in the Basement is a shocking movie based on the true story of Elisabeth Fritzl, who was held captive and tortured by her father for 24 years. The Girl in the Basement movie is a milder version of the horrifying events that actually took place, with changes made to the timeline and names of those involved. Elisabeth and her children now live in an undisclosed location under protection, receiving therapy to help them process the trauma inflicted by Josef Fritzl.

Contains discussion of graphic torture and abuse.

The unsettling Girl in the Basement is made even more horrifying because it's based on true events. Girl in the Basement is part of Lifetime's "Ripped From the Headlines" collection, about Sara, a teenager who gets imprisoned by her father, Don, in their basement. In order to cover his tracks, Don concocts a story for his wife, Irene, about Sara running away.

The Lifetime movie Girl in the Basement takes some liberties with the true story of Elisabeth Fritzl, changing names, locations, and adding failed escape attempts for dramatic effect. The addition of a romantic interest for Sarah in the film, Chris, adds unnecessary fluff to a story that should focus on strength and survival, rather than romantic love. The real Elisabeth and her children now live in a secret location under new names, and little is known about their lives today, although reports have surfaced about Elisabeth marrying her bodyguard.

Warning: This article contains material regarding discussions about sexual assault, rape, and incest which might be disturbing to some readers. Reader discretion is advised.

The 2021 Lifetime movie Girl in the Basement tells the horrifying but true 1984 story of Elisabeth Fritzl, who was imprisoned by her father Josef, in Amstetten, Austria. For 24 years, Elisabeth was locked away in the basement of her...

A mother will stop at nothing to protect her young.

And when Cush Jumbo plays that mother, you can already bet a fantastic performance will buoy that story.

Lifetime will kick the new year off with more pulse-pounding Ripped from the Headlines stories that set you on edge, and one of our first forays into the slate will be another film connected to the "Girl in" slate.

Girl in the Video will be gracing our screens on January 13.

But fret not; TV Fanatic has an exclusive first look at the trailer and what's in store. Buckle your seat belts, as this one is about to be a thrilling ride!

We'll be breaking in the new year with Girl in the Video, the latest addition to the "Girl in" franchise. Notably, previous original series from that franchise include Girl in the Closet, Girl in Room 13, Girl in the Basement, Girl in the Shed,...

Exclusive: Entertainment veterans Elisabeth Rohm and Kara Feifer have partnered to launch Rohm Feifer Entertainment, a film and television production company that will look to tell inspirational, female-forward stories steeped in true crime and true narratives that resonate with audiences of all kinds.

Already, the company with offices in L.A. and New York has made a deal with Village Roadshow Television to develop the series I Will Be Good, inspired by Bryan Smith’s article for Chicago magazine. Written by Karen Croner, it will tell the story of a $53 million bamboozle: how Rita Crundwell, the trusted comptroller of the small Illinois town of Dixon, pulled off the biggest municipal embezzlement in U.S. history to date without anyone noticing. The project will be executive produced by Meryl Poster.

Rohm and Feifer are also taking an IP-based procedural out to market this year, led by Ed Bernero (Criminal Minds), based...

Luther “Uncle Luke” Campbell is getting as docuseries as he wanna be. Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders is among the producers behind “Coach Luke,” which chronicles the one-time 2 Live Crew frontman as he became a entrepreneur and the head coach of the Edison Senior High School football team in Miami. Mandon Lovett directs the docuseries, which is exec produced by Smac Entertainment’s Constance Schwartz-Morini, Michael Strahan and FredAnthony Smith; Swirl Films’ Eric Tomosunas and Nikki Byles; and Brian Sher and Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders. No outlet is yet attached.

Campbell, of course, is remembered for the popular late 1980s/early 1990s rap group 2 Live Crew — which managed to even hit the Billboard charts with song titles that Casey Kasem wouldn’t say out loud on his top 40 countdown. But 2 Live Crew’s lasting impact was its First Amendment fights, via Campbell and the group’s obscenity trials and Supreme Court parody cases.

At just 41 years old, Keyshia Cole is a Grammy Award-winning R&b legend, reality show phenomenon, and now star and executive producer of Keyshia Cole: This Is My Story, a captivating biopic about the not-so-glamorous parts of her successful life. Raised in Oakland, California, Cole was adopted by family friends of her drug-addicted mother, and had a father whose identity she didn’t know until she was an adult.

On her path to musical comeuppance, Cole held onto a deep-seated effort to defy the odds with a faith in God and now, with millions of records sold, she is living proof that women don't have to sell or reveal their bodies to have their actual talent respected. Keyshia Cole: This Is My Story traces Cole's journey of not letting a rough start in life stop her from reaching her dream and using her talents as a singer.

Who Is Keyshia...

Updated: Lifetime announced several projects during A+E Networks’ 2023-24 upfront presentation Wednesday, including a follow-up docu to Janet Jackson, its two-part documentary that scored record ratings for the network, as well as TLC Forever, a simulcast with A+E celebrating the story of the iconic top-selling female group. Additionally, the network has greenlighted a Keyshia Cole biopic, starring Cole as herself and is in development on Merry Liddle Christmas Vacation starring Kelly Rowland, in the next installment of the Liddles for It’s a Wonderful Lifetime.

They join previously announced Real Love, an original movie executive produced by Grammy winner Mary J. Blige inspired by her best-selling song.

Janet Jackson: Family First, a follow-up to Janet Jackson, will chronicle the legendary singer, songwriter, producer, author, actor and philanthropist as she embarks on her 2023 “Together Again” tour, and her collaboration with brother Randy Jackson to reunite the family band after 40 years since their last performance.

Lifetime’s spring slate of movies kicks off on March 4 with eight new movies premiering back-to-back through April 15.

The network today announced the addition of six original films to accompany, “Black Girl Missing” starring Garcelle Beauvais (also of “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills) and “Pride: A Seven Deadly Sins Story,” which will premiere on March 4 and April 8, respectively.

The six additional originals — “Girl in the Closet,” “The Hillsdale Adoption Scam,” “Twisted Sister,” “Every Breath She Takes,” “Giving Hope: The Ni’cola Mitchell Story” and “Drunk, Driving, and 17” — have a slew of stars joining the projects, including Tami Roman, Remy Ma, Jackée Harry, Tisha Campbell, Tamala Jones, Mena Suvari, Joy Nash and Keshia Knight Pulliam.

“Girl in the Closet,” “The Hillsdale Adoption Scam” “Drunk, Driving, and 17” and “Giving Hope: The Ni’cola Mitchell Story” are each inspired by true events.

See below for Lifetime’s 2023 early spring slate.

“Black Girl Missing”

March 4, 8 p.

Emma Myers (Wednesday) and Brady Noon (The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers) have signed on to star alongside Jennifer Garner and Ed Helms in the body-swap comedy Family Leave, which McG is directing for Netflix.

The family film based on New York Times bestseller Amy Krouse Rosenthal’s book, Bedtime for Mommy, follows Jess (Garner) and Bill Walker (Helms), who are doing their best to keep their family connected as their children grow older, more independent, and more distant. When a chance encounter with an astrological reader causes the family to wake up to a full body switch, on the morning of the most important day of each of their lives, can the Walkers unite to land a promotion, college interview, record deal and soccer tryout?

Myers and Noon will play Jess and Bill’s children, Cc and Wyatt.

Adam Sztykiel is writing the latest draft of the...

Exclusive: NBCU Launch revealed its 2022-2023 class for its TV Directors Program and Female Forward. The new class and the shows they will direct as part of the program Tayo Amos (Chicago Fire), Melanie D’Andrea (Telemundo Global Studios-produced series), Kryzz Gautier (Telemundo Global Studios-produced series), Saray Guidetti (The Blacklist), Gia-Rayne Harris (Chicago P.D.), Elisabeth Rohm (Law & Order) and Nicole Taylor-Roberts (Chicago Med).

This year’s class includes directors who will helm a Telemundo scripted series as a new combined effort between NBCU Launch and Telemundo’s Mujeres Imparables (Unstoppable Women) as part of NBCU’s efforts to increase the number of experienced Hispanic female directors in scripted television.

During the 2022-23 program, veteran TV directors Mary Lou Belli and Bethany Rooney will lead the new class through curated workshops to prepare them to shadow and gain the necessary tools for their assignments. Additionally, NBCU Launch will help participants build their professional networks.

Screen Rant is pleased to present an exclusive clip from Lifetime's latest Ripped From The Headlines film, Swindler Seduction. Premiering October 22, the new movie is based on a true story and stars Teen Wolf and Arrow heartthrob Colton Haynes as twin con artists Steve and Mitch Johnson. Gabrielle Graham (Showtime's Twenties) plays one of their victims, Louisa, who refuses to be swindled without fighting back.

Beyond The Headlines: Swindler Seduction dives deep into the world of con artists and how they use romance and vulnerability to meet their evil ends, as well as how raising the question of how environment and genetics can play a role in criminal behavior. It's also not the only film in the series for the month of October, as October 29 will welcome An Amish Sin, starring Kellie Martin, Dylan Ratzlaff (A Million Little Things), and Rukiya Bernard (Yellowjackets). In it, an Amish teen leaves...

Lifetime is bringing awareness about the brutal business of human trafficking with an upcoming film starring Anne Heche and Larissa Dias.

Girl in Room 13 is inspired by actual events and will be directed by Elisabeth Rohm.

As part of a Stop Violence Against Women campaign, Lifetime will create a new PSA in support of the Polaris Project and the National Human Trafficking Hotline.

Lifetime greenlights the new Ripped from the Headlines movie, Girl in Room 13, a film inspired by actual events, exploring the dark underworld of the 150-billion-dollar human trafficking industry.

Returning to Lifetime, Emmy nominee Anne Heche stars as Janie, and Larissa Dias stars as her daughter Grace, who is abducted by Richie (Max Montesi) for human trafficking.

Under the Broader Focus initiative, Lifetime also reunites with Elisabeth Rohm for her third directorial project with the network, having previously directed 2021’s Girl in the Basement and Switched Before Birth.

Exclusive: Lifetime has given a green light to Girl In Room 13, a new Ripped from the Headlines movie inspired by actual events, starring Emmy nominee Anne Heche. Larissa Dias (When Calls the Heart) and Max Montesi (The 100) also star in the movie which explores the dark underworld of the 150-billion-dollar human trafficking industry. The film is directed by Elisabeth Rohm, her third directorial project with the network under the Broader Focus initiative, part of the network’s Stop Violence Against Women campaign. It’s set to premiere this fall.

Heche stars as Janie, and Dias as her daughter, Grace, who is abducted by Richie (Montesi) for human trafficking.

Inspired by actual events, Girl in Room 13 examines the story of Grace (Dias), who was addicted to opioids after her doctor prescribed them for a sports injury at a very young age and after three stints in rehab, she is finally...

Lifetime has added Girl in the Shed: The Kidnapping of Abby Hernandez, starring Ben Savage, Lindsay Navarro, and Erica Durance, to its February movie release line-up.

Executive produced by Hernandez, the project tells the real-life story of her abduction at the age of 14 and how she survived against all odds. It serves as the network’s latest installment of the “Girls In” series which also includes, Girl in the Basement, Girl in the Bunker, and Girl in the Box.

All February films, beginning on the 5th, will roll out on Saturdays at 8 p.m. A sneak preview of the titles listed below will be available via Lifetime’s VOD beginning Dec. 26.

February 5

Single Black Female starring Amber Riley, Raven Goodwin, K. Michelle.

Reeling from the death of her beloved father and a difficult breakup, Monica (Goodwin), is ready to move forward with her life as she tries to land the...

The Bad Seed is not over at Lifetime.

The cabler has officially ordered a new original movie that will be the sequel to the 2018 hit movie.

Mckenna Grace, who starred in the original The Bad Seed in 2018 with Rob Lowe, is set to return for the sequel in the role of Emma.

Even more excitiing:

Mckenna co-wrote the script for the new movie with her father, Ross Burge.

The 2018 film's writer, Barbara Marshall, also has a writing credit on the movie.

Mckenna Grace will executive produce along with her father Ross Burge, her mother, Crystal Burge. and Mark Wolper.

The Bad Seed was based on the novel of the same name by William March and the play by Maxwell Anderson.

The project will shoot in Vancouver with a planned 2022 premiere. 

"When Mckenna came to us with a spec script she wrote, we were blown away with her vision for the...

Thora Birch, Riki Lindhome, and several other new names have just been added to the cast of Wednesday, Tim Burton's new take on The Addams Family in the works at Netflix. Previously, it was announced that Jenna Ortega would be starring as a college-aged version of the titular Addams family member. It has since been revealed that Catherine Zeta-Jones and Luis Guzmán are also on board to play Wednesday's parents Morticia and Gomez, respectively.

On Friday, Netflix announced ten new actors that have officially boarded the project. This includes Thora Birch as Wednesday's dorm mother Tamara Novak and Riki Lindhome as Wednesday's therapist Dr. Valerie Kinbott. Jamie McShane as Sheriff Donovan Galpin, a character described as having a vendetta against Wednesday's father Gomez.

Several other actors have been named as Wednesday's classmates at Nevermore Academy. These new characters are Hunter Doohan (Your Honor) as Wednesday's friend Tyler Galpin, the...

The forthcoming Addams Family TV series, Wednesday, has added 10 more faces to its cast.

The latest wave of cast members includes Thora Birch and Jamie Mc Shane.

Also joining the cast is Riki Lindhome, Hunter Doohan, Georgie Farmer, Moosa Mostafa, and Emma Myers.

They are joined by Naomi J. Ogawa (Skylin3s), Joy Sunday, and Percy Hynes White.

It was previously announced the series would be toplined by Jenna Ortega, while Catherine Zeta-Jones (Prodigal Son) was on board as Morticia Addams and Luis Guzmán as Gomez Addams.

Scroll down to find out who the new additions will be playing:

- Hunter Doohan will play Tyler Galpin. A townie who strikes up an unlikely friendship with Wednesday Addams. Tyler has a troubled relationship with his father, the local sheriff.

- Georgie Farmer will play Ajax Petropolus. A student at Nevermore Academy who also happens to be a Gorgon. Awkward and shy,...

Exclusive: Netflix is rounding out its cast for Wednesday, Tim Burton’s live-action Addams Family series, adding 10 series regulars. Joining Jenna Ortega, who stars in the titular Wednesday Addams role, are Thora Birch, Riki Lindhome, Jamie McShane, Hunter Doohan, Georgie Farmer, Moosa Mostafa, Emma Myers, Naomi J. Ogawa (Skylin3s), Joy Sunday and Percy Hynes White. In addition to Ortega, they join Catherine Zeta-Jones as matriarch Morticia Addams and Luis Guzmán who appears as Gomez Addams.

The coming-of-age comedy, written by Smallville creators Al Gough and Miles Millar and to be directed by Burton, is a sleuthing, supernaturally infused mystery charting Wednesday Addams’ (Ortega) years as a student at Nevermore Academy.

Stars: Stefanie Scott, Isabelle Fuhrman, Judith Roberts, Rory Culkin | Written and Directed by Edoardo Vitaletti

The Last Thing Mary Saw begins with an ominous quote from John Calvin, “All events whatsoever are governed by the secret counsel of God.” And God, or a twisted interpretation of His words, will have a large part to play in the events that unfold before us.

It’s December 3rd 1843 in Southold, New York. A young woman, Mary, is being interrogated about a series of deaths at her family home. A blindfold covers the two empty sockets where her eyes used to be so she doesn’t see the rifles aimed at her as she tells her story.

Mary is the daughter of a wealthy family. It’s also a repressively devout one and her life has little joy apart from her relationship with her maid Eleanor. A relationship that brings disapproval and harsh punishment from her family,...

Matthew Modine is running for president of SAG-AFTRA again as the leader of Membership First, the union’s opposition party. Joely Fisher, a former national board member, is running for secretary treasurer as his running mate.

Modine was defeated for the presidency by Gabrielle Carteris in a highly contentious election in 2019. In that race, Carteris received 13,537 votes to Modine’s 10,683, with a third candidate, former SAG-AFTRA secretary-treasurer Jane Austin, receiving 5,048 votes. Only 21.2% of the union’s eligible members cast ballots last time.

“The union spends exorbitant amounts of our own members’ money attempting to convince us that our contracts have been successfully negotiated,” Modine said. “The truth is they fall far short of the economic conditions facing performers today. I’m running to ensure that each of the locals across the United States are truthfully and transparently represented.

“One of the biggest issues on the minds of our membership today...

Steve Chicorel’s Organic Media Group is launching a trio of English-language movies at this week’s Hong Kong FilMart.

Aaron Eckhart and Terrance Howard head the cast of “Afterward,” a drama about a man struggling with the death of his daughter, for which Omg is handling rights sales within Asia.

Directed by Dito Montiel, the fact-based film sees the father set out on a quest for truth and justice against corruption and small-town politics. Production begins next month in Louisiana. Lionsgate has the film for North America. Angel Oak Films will handle rights excluding North America and Asia.

Omg is also representing a pair of films, “Betrayed Within” and “Escape from Love,” developed for Lifetime Television in North America and available theatrically worldwide. Produced and financed by Thriller Films, Omg and Alianza Films, the pair will be shot back-to-back in Chicago, with “Betrayed Within” lensing from next month.

The...

Elisabeth Röhm’s new Lifetime movie “Girl in the Basement” is “a call to action about abuse on a very significant level,” the director told TheWrap.

The film stars Judd Nelson as a father who locks his daughter (played by Stefanie Scott) in the basement for 20 years, raping and assaulting her, and even fathering multiple children with her. Meanwhile, her mom and sister live upstairs and believe she ran away to start a new life away from them.

To many, this story might ring a bell. In 2008, Elisabeth Fritzl told Austrian police she had been held captive by her father for 24 years, which resulted in the birth of seven children who remained in captivity with her. While “Girl in the Basement” takes elements from the Fritzl case, Röhm said there were actual multiple stories that inspired the screenplay for her movie.

“For us, there was a lot to take from...

Exclusive: Lifetime has given a green light to Torn From Her Arms, an original movie from Ozy Media, inspired by the separation of six-year-old Jimena Madrid from her mother at the U.S. border due to the Trump administration’s zero-tolerance family separation policy. The movie, which stems from Ozy Media’s development partnership with A+E Networks, is part of Lifetime’s Ripped from the Headlines franchise inspired by news and true events. Originally covered by Ozy’s reporting arm, Torn From Her Arms marks Ozy’s first foray into scripted programming and an expansion of its television catalog.

Per Lifetime, Torn from Her Arms is the timely story of Cindy and Jimena Madrid, a mother and daughter who fled violence in El Salvador, only to be separated at the U.S. border. Detained in different centers, Cindy and Jimena’s story gained national attention when the audiotape of Jimena...

The Lifetime network is hitting a major milestone with their series of original movies “ripped from the headlines”: This year, the network celebrates its 400th “Ripped From the Headlines” feature with the one-two punch of “The Long Island Serial Killer: A Mother’s Hunt for Justice” and “Girl in the Basement.”

Deborah Norville, reporter and executive producer for “The Long Island Serial Killer,” said during the network’s Ctam Winter 2021 Press Tour that the stories they are telling are ones she covered as an anchor or reporter with “Inside Edition.” She was frustrated covering them on the air because of the lack of time available to delve into the cases. “We [were] just not able to get to the nuance,” she said. “Their lives have been upended in the most horrific…way. We don’t get the opportunity to tell the stories fully and completely [in news].” When she and Lifetime started conversing...