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Austrian filmmaker Robert Dornhelm ("Anne Frank: The Whole Story," "War and Peace") is currently in pre-production on a TV movie about the life of convicted murderer Amanda Knox, an American exchange student who was sentenced to 26 years in prison for the murder of her roommate Meredith Kercher last year in Italy. Actresses like Lindsay Lohan, Megan Fox and Kristen Stewart have been rumored to star as Knox, but Hayden Panettiere ("Heroes") has won the role in the film which will air next year on Lifetime. Kercher's father said: "I don't like the idea of a film based on Meredith's death. Seeing it graphically portrayed is a horrible thought." Knox's legal team are also concerned the film could affect her appeal.

ROME -- The production team behind Spike Lee's wartime drama Miracle at St. Anna on Friday announced the Italian-language cast for the film and said that work on the project will begin Oct. 15.

The film, which will be shot mostly on location in Tuscany, tells the story of a group of black U.S. soldiers who get involved in a Tuscan village's efforts to weed out a traitor.

According to producers Luigi Musini and Roberto Cicutto, the Italian-language cast will include Pierfrancesco Favino (Romanzo Criminale), Omero Antonutti (La Ragazza del Lago), Valentina Cervi (War and Peace), Lydia Biondi (HBO-BBC's Rome) and Italian TV actor Sergio Albelli.

Producers have not yet announced the films English- and German-speaking cast.

In addition to Musini and Cicutto, producers will be Italy's 01 Distribution, RAI Cinema and Lee's own 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks.

ROME -- The European premiere of Caravaggio was the highlight of Tuesday's first full day at the RomaFictionFest.

Veteran television director Angelo Longoni's biographical telefilm about the Renaissance master painter, screened to a full house Tuesday. It was only the second public screening for the film, which screened once in New York last month.

The RomaFictionFest encompasses some 140 programs created for television.

Caravaggio star Alessio Boni was among the stars on the event's orange carpet -- the festival uses an orange carpet rather than a red one to differentiate itself from a traditional cinema festival -- and he will appear here later in the week for Robert Dornhelm's War and Peace, the centerpiece film of the July 2-7 festival.

Also screening Tuesday were the TV film Dans L'Ombre du Maitre (In Her Master's Shadow), a film about a young genius from France's David Delrieux; Kai Wessel's miniseries Die Flucht (March of Millions); and The State Within, a miniseries about an air confrontation between the U.K.