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Actress Tessa Thompson, known for her roles in Creed, Dear White People and Thor: Ragnarok has signed on to play legendary jewel thief Doris Payne. Payne was the subject of a spectacular Netflix documentary, The Life & Crimes of Doris Payne.
Per Variety, Codeblack Films will start the project after obtaining Payne’s life rights. Thompson is going to produce the untitled film along with Codeblack’s Jeff Clanagan.
Thompson took to Twitter to finally share the news.
Payne’s life is the stuff of legend. At 87, Payne has a criminal record that dates back to the 1960s. Since she was a young girl, she was known to steal jewelry, lots of jewelery. While filming her own documentary, Payne was caught stealing a ring from a Macy’s department store, causing filmmakers to end the film with its subject behind bars.
“I don’t dictate what happens when I walk in the store,” Payne said in an interview. “The people in charge dictate what happens with me when I walk in the store. I don’t tell a person in the store I want to see something that costs $10,000. They make those decisions based on how I present myself and how I look.”
