“The Crown” Star Matt Smith in Talks to Play Charles Manson in Indie Movie “The Family” (Exclusive)

The Crown star Matt Smith is in talks to play Charles Manson in the indie movie THE FAMILY, which hails from the American Psycho team of director Mary Harron and screenwriter Guinevere Turner, the Tracking Board has exclusively learned.

Based on the nonfiction book “The Long Prison Journey of Leslie van Houten: Life Beyond The Cult” by Karlene Faith as well as Ed Sanders’ 1971 novel “The Family,” the film will follow grad student Faith as she works with three brainwashed young women who were part of the Manson family — Leslie Van Houten, Patricia Krenwinkel and Susan Atkins. The story will be told via a series of flashbacks after the three women are incarcerated in a special security unit at the California Institute for Women.

Sources tell the Tracking Board that Detroit star Hannah Murray and Imposters actress Marianne Rendón are in talks to play Van Houten and Atkins, respectively.

Jeremy M. Rosen and Kevin Shulman are producing via their Roxwell Films banner, while David Hillary will executive produce alongside Dana Guerin and Michael Guerin. Production is slated to start in March in Los Angeles. Reached by phone, one of the Roxwell Films principals declined to comment on Tuesday.

Smith next stars as photographer Robert Mapplethorpe in Ondi Timoner’s Mapplethorpe, which co-stars Rendón as singer Patti Smith. The English actor has a legion of fans thanks to his turn as The Doctor on the long-running hit series Doctor Who. He previously starred in Terminator Genisys, Ryan Gosling’s Lost River, and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, and he’ll soon be seen in another genre flick — Patient Zero. He’s represented by UTA and Troika.

Murray is best known for playing Gilly on HBO’s Game of Thrones and Cassie on the UK series Skins. In addition to Kathryn Bigelow’s Detroit, in which she arguably played the female lead, Murray’s feature credits include God Help the Girl and The Numbers Station. She’s repped by UTA, Troika and Management 360.

Rendón, who will soon be seen in Aaron Katz’s thriller Gemini, is repped by Gersh and McKegney Management.

 Jeff Sneider | Editor in Chief