The last six months of Marilyn Monroe’s life will be explored in a new drama series.
Written by Dan Sefton (Trust Me, The Good Karma Hospital) and based on Keith Badman’s The Final Years Of Marilyn Monroe: The Shocking True Story, the series is being developed by BBC Studios.
The Hollywood star, one of the most enduring sex symbols in popular culture, died at the age of 36 in 1962.
The final months of her life saw her seeking to assert herself with studio bosses as she became more dependant on alcohol and medication, pushing her glittering film career into a decline.
Badman’s book uncovered details about Monroe, who was born Norma Jeane, and her relationships with baseball player Joe DiMaggio, John F Kennedy and his brother Robert F Kennedy and the Rat Pack’s Peter Lawford.
It also explored the delays around the reporting of the Some Like It Hot star’s overdose on the night of her death.
Sefton said: “I am thrilled to be working with BBC Studios to bring this incredible true story to the screen.
“Marilyn’s desire to be taken seriously as an actress and her battle with the powerful men who control the studio system is sadly as relevant today as it ever was.”
Anne Pivcevic, executive producer, BBC Studios, said: “We are delighted to be developing this ambitious drama with Dan, which tackles big themes such as power, love, loyalty and politics.
“In the last few months of her life, Marilyn was sincerely loved, callously betrayed, cynically filled with hope and ultimately cruelly abandoned.
“Her death changed the lives of everyone in her orbit and cemented her status as a legend.”