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Rob Lowe to star in Lifetime Original Movie 'Prosecuting Casey Anthony'

By April MacIntyre May 4, 2012, 3:34 GMT

Rob Lowe and Sheryl Berkoff - 11th Annual Tribeca Film Festival - "Knife Fight" Premiere - Arrivals - Borough of Manhattan Community College - New York City, NY, USA © Marco Sagliocco / PR Photos

On the heels of his acclaimed role in the hit Lifetime Original Movie, Drew Peterson: Untouchable, actor Rob Lowe will star in the new Lifetime Original Movie Prosecuting Casey Anthony (wt).

From Lifetime

Lowe will portray Jeff Ashton, the Florida prosecutor in last year’s controversial Caylee Anthony murder trial and author of the best-selling book Imperfect Justice: Prosecuting Casey Anthony, upon which the movie will be based.

Prosecuting Casey Anthony will reveal Ashton’s inside story of the true crime drama that captivated and then shocked the nation when Caylee Anthony’s mother, Casey, was acquitted of killing her daughter, despite what many thought to be overwhelming evidence of guilt. 

The movie will be seen from Ashton’s (Lowe) perspective and take viewers behind-the-scenes of both the investigation into Caylee’s tragic death and the ensuing trial, shedding new light on the many questions of what happened to the two year-old girl, how Ashton and his fellow prosecutors built their case and why a woman so shrouded in suspicion was proclaimed innocent. 

With in-depth information about the case and the accused, Prosecuting Casey Anthony will examine what the prosecution got right, what they got wrong and why Ashton remains convinced of Casey Anthony’s guilt.

Regarding the announcement, Rob Sharenow, Executive Vice President, Programming, of Lifetime Networks, said, “We’re thrilled to have Rob returning to our network, after his amazing star turn as Drew Peterson.  He’s one of those rare stars who can do it all, comedy, drama, heroes and villains.  There are very few actors in the history of our business who have been able to have such success on such a broad range.”

Prosecuting Casey Anthony will be executive produced by Jean Abounader (Lifetime’s We Have Your Husband, Held Hostage) and Michelle Manning (The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles).  Peter Werner (Justified, Medium) will direct the screenplay by Alison Cross (Rizzoli & Isles, Raising the Bar).  The film will be produced by Fox Television Studios.  Imperfect Justice: Prosecuting Casey Anthony is published by HarperCollins.

In January, Lowe starred in the Lifetime Original Movie Drew Peterson: Untouchable, which averaged 5.8 million Total Viewers, becoming basic cable’s most watched original movie premiere in two years since the network’s The Pregnancy Pact in 2010, as well as this year’s number one movie telecast across basic cable among all key demographics.