Melissa Joan Hart, La La Anthony to Star in Lifetime Movie Inspired by Celebrity Conservatorship Cases
Lifetime, which just put out the docuseries âWhere Is Wendy Williams?,â on Friday announced an upcoming movie that âsheds a light on the controversial, court-appointed guardianship system.â
Melissa Joan Hart and La La Anthony will star in the movie, which has a working title âThe Bad Guardianâ and follows real-life conservatorship cases such as Williams and that of Britney Spears. âWhere Is Wendy Williams,â which was filmed before producers knew about Williamsâ aphasia and dementia diagnosis, features the former talk show hostâs family fighting with a guardian.
The former âSabrina the Teenage Witchâ star will play Leigh, a woman who fights to save her father Jason (Eric Pierpoint) âfrom the clutches of a corrupt and greedy court-appointed âguardian,ââ per the press release.
âChiâ star Anthony will play the title character, Janet, who quickly takes charge of every aspect of Jasonâs life, cutting Leigh out while she puts her father in a nursing home and sells his house and worldly possessions.
âAs the whistleblowers around Jason meet untimely ends, Leigh finds the strength to take down the guardian and the corrupt system that supports her,â Lifetime tases.
âThe Bad Guardianâ is produced by Allegheny Image Factory with Jeffrey Tinnell and Robert Tinnell serving as Producers. Elizabeth Stephen Executive Produces and Claudia Myers directs from a script by Ashley Gable. No release date has been announced yet.
Melissa Joan Hart is repped by Gilbertson Entertainment and Independent Artist Group. La La Anthony is repped by United Talent Agency, 42West and Untitled Entertainment.
A conservatorship gone wrong was also the premise of the 2020 Netflix movie âI Care a Lot,â which starred Rosamund Pike as an opportunistic guardian.
Spearsâ 13-year conservatorship, still the most high-profile celebrity case about a starâs right to make their own decisions, was ended by a California judge in November 2021.