NEW YORK – Martha Stewart (search), now serving five months of house arrest, will be coming into your living room in a new CBS (search) movie, based on the last six years of her life.
Stewart was convicted in March 2004 of lying to the government about why she sold nearly 4,000 shares of ImClone Systems Inc. stock the day before a negative government ruling about an ImClone cancer drug.
She was released from a federal women's prison in Alderson, W.Va., on March 4, after serving a five-month sentence. The 63-year-old celebrity homemaker is now serving the second half of her sentence at her Westchester County estate.
Shooting will begin March 28 in Toronto, executive producer Tom Patricia told The Associated Press Thursday. The CBS film will draw from news in the public domain and trial records.
"The story begins the day her company (Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia) goes public and it ends the day she's released from prison," Patricia told the AP.
Cybill Shepherd (search) starred in NBC's 2003 film, "Martha, Inc.: The Story of Martha Stewart." Though the Los Angles Times has reported that Shepherd also may play the role for CBS, Patricia said casting hasn't been completed.
"Ours deals with what I'd call the second act," he said. "Our opinion is that it is probably one of the most memorable comeback stories ever."
A call place to Stewart's publicist after business hours Thursday wasn't immediately returned.
Production for a TV movie generally takes four to five weeks, which sets up the film well for May "ratings" sweeps.
Stewart is scheduled to work on two TV programs — a revival of her daily homemaking show and her own version of "The Apprentice."
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