Veteran Producer

Veteran Producer and First time Director, Edward Bass is set to direct the upcoming film, Belle. The script explores the gruesome true story of Belle Gunness, an early twentieth century female serial killer. Hollywood insiders have been gushing over the script and many comparisons have been drawn with the Academy Award winning Monster (2003), the true story of a Florida prostitute who murdered her clients. Charlize Theron won an Oscar with her tour de force performance of Aileen Wuornos and many expect the same result with Belle due to the complex characterization captured in the screenplay. So, how does the monstrous Aileen Wuornos match up against the beast known as Belle? Aside from her Hollywood incarnation, Aileen Wuorno's disturbing life story has been the subject of many documentaries.

Her father, whom she never knew, had hung himself while in prison and her mother had abandoned her when she was only five years old. She began to engage in sex with multiple partners, including her own brother. After being raped at the age of 13, she gave birth to a son, only to be kicked out of her home two years later. After engaging in increasingly violent offenses, she committed her first murder in self-defense during a rape attempt which in turn led to a killing spree of 7 men until her capture and execution in 2002. Belle Gunness’ murderous exploits have not been as well documented, and her background still to this day remains a mystery. Belle was a Norwegian immigrant who married her first husband in Chicago during the 1880’s. He and two of their children had died under obscure circumstances; she then collected his life insurance. Belle had later moved to a farm in La Porte, Indiana, where she married her second husband, only to have him die after a blow to the head 8 months later. After his death, Belle began filing personal ads and sending love letters to various wealthy landowners across the country.

In these letters she included propositions of marriage and the joining of their respective fortunes. Many enthusiastic suitors came to La Porte, but none of which had ever left. People began to suspect foul play and that Belle was feeding their corpses to her pigs; however, before any serious investigation commenced, her house had burned down and Belle's body still to this day has never been found. It has been speculated that she had murdered around one hundred people. The difference between these two murderesses is that much more is known about the horrible life of Aileen Wuornos and it is easier to portray a sympathetic portrait of such a tortured soul; however, the life and motivations behind Belle Gunness still remain unknown. Where Aileen was emotional and sloppy, Belle was cold and precise. In many respects, Belle's character is such a blank canvas that whichever lucky actress is pegged to play the part would be free explore the darkest depths of the human psyche and give a performance that will leave an indelible mark in the minds of viewers for time to come.