Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, July 23, 1990 TAG: 9007230119
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: LYNCHBURG LENGTH: Medium
Scott Siegel, agent for author Ken Englade, said last week that Edgar Scherick of Saban-Scherick Entertainment in Burbank, Calif., was one of four producers who bid on the rights to "Beyond Reason." Siegel said the company is considering the story for a made-for-television movie.
Englade's book chronicles the murders of the Haysoms, a prominent Bedford County couple, and the arrests of their daughter, Elizabeth, and her boyfriend, Jens Soering.
Scherick recently produced the television miniseries "The Kennedys of Massachusetts" and "The Phantom of the Opera." He also worked on the feature films "Sleuth" and "Shoot the Moon."
"The book got some wonderful reviews in trade publications," Siegel said. "We got calls from upward of 25 different production companies interested at least in exploring the possibilities."
It's a deal that could net Englade as much as $250,000.
The firm is negotiating with a British company Siegel hopes will co-produce the film, reducing costs and opening up a second television market.
One of the appeals of the book, from the TV perspective, is the British connection, Siegel said. Soering and Elizabeth Haysom fled to Europe seven months after her parents' deaths and later were arrested in London on fraud charges. British detectives uncovered evidence that led to their murder convictions in a Bedford County courtroom - Haysom's in 1987, Soering's last month.
Of the books on which an option is taken, Siegel said, about one-third usually end up on television. He said he gave Englade's slightly better odds.
"Everybody seems to be very high on the product," he said.
Siegel said he has no specific timetable for the project. But as a general rule, he added, if the movie isn't made within two years, it won't be.
by CNB