Knox's Lawyers To Fight Panettiere Film

Executives at America's Lifetime network announced this week (beg20Sep10) that the Heroes actress has signed up to appear in The Amanda Knox Story, based on the 21 year old's sensational Italian murder trial over the brutal killing of her roommate.

Meredith Kercher was killed during a violent night fuelled by sex and drugs in 2007 and last year (09) Knox was sentenced to 26 years in prison for slashing her friend's throat with a knife.

Knox has maintained her innocence and is challenging the guilty verdict - and her lawyers are adamant movie bosses should not be allowed to take her story to Hollywood until the outcome of the appeal is heard.

Knox's attorney Maria Del Grosso, says, "It is inconceivable to make a film when a final verdict on this case has not been reached."

Giulia Bongiorno, a lawyer representing Knox's ex-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito, who was also convicted of Kercher's murder, adds, "If the film is shown before the end of the appeals trial we will request it be seized (by authorities)."

Both their appeals are to go to court later this year (10).