Soon to be a major motion picture
What did screenwriter William Goldman say about Hollywood? That nobody knows anything? That is undoubtedly true, but you don't have to know much to know that Marla Ruzicka's life story would make a great movie.
Ruzicka, who was tragically killed in Baghdad on April 16 in a suicide bombing, was already thinking of writing a book about her experiences in Afghanistan and Iraq, helping civilian victims of war. Now Paramount has bought the film rights to her story and the movie industry is aflutter with rumors about who will be cast in the role of the courageous aid worker. Reese Witherspoon, Natalie Portman and Kirsten Dunst have been floated as possibilities (no word on whether Angelina Jolie is in the running, even though she plays an aid worker in real life). Marla once joked she'd like Drew Barrymore to play her.
My vote goes to Brittany Murphy, who showed she could do outstanding dramatic work in 8 Mile. Besides, Brittany, like Marla, is cute, but not too sexy (like Dunst); too beautiful (like Portman); or too Legally Blonde (like Witherspoon).
Marla's parents, who struck the deal with Paramount, plan to donate proceeds to the organization their daughter founded, CIVIC Worldwide. Says Marla's sister, Jill, who signed onto the project as executive producer, "We hope this movie will tell the story of a fascinating, kick-ass woman."
