ATLANTA — Tessa Thompson will star in an upcoming biopic of international jewel thief and DeKalb County resident Doris Payne, Variety reports.
Payne, 87, has stolen approximately $2 million worth of jewelry and other items over her six-decade career.
She was last arrested in July 2017, after she was accused of stealing $86.22 worth of merchandise from a Walmart in Chamblee. She pleaded guilty and was sentenced to time served.
Payne’s most lucrative alleged heist occurred in the 1970s, when she was accused of stealing a 10-carat diamond ring worth $500,000 in Monte Carlo.
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Charges against her were dismissed when police could not find the ring. Payne detailed many of her crimes in a 2013 documentary, “The Life and Crimes of Doris Payne.”
The rights to Payne's life story were purchased by Codeblack Films, a subsidiary of Lionsgate. The film is currently untitled, Variety reported.
Thompson has had roles in “Thor: Ragnarok,” “Creed” and “Selma.” She will play Valkyrie in the upcoming “Avengers: Infinity War,” which was filmed in Atlanta.
This article was written by Amanda C.Coyne, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.