Tessa Thompson is Set to Star in a Jewel Heist Film about the True Story of Doris Payne
Thor: Ragnarok star Tessa Thompson has landed a great new role that is a perfect film project for her. She will take on the role of Doris Payne, a woman criminal who is best known for her luxury jewelry heists from stores from around the world.
According to Variety, the movie is "conceived as a high-concept action-drama in the vein of Catch Me if You Can and The Thomas Crown Affair." I'm a fan of both of those films, so if this movie ends up being to the level of quality of those films, this movie could turn out amazing.
In her six-decade long career, Payne, who is now 87, would enter jewelry stores posing as a well-to-do woman looking for a diamond ring and ask to see an assortment of items. Using her charm, she would eventually cause the clerk to forget how many pieces were outside the cases and leave with one or two pieces.
Payne’s criminal record dates back to the 1950s. She was arrested many times and has admitted to having used 20 aliases, 10 Social Security numbers, and nine dates of birth.
Thompson is already so damn charming, so it's not hard to imagine her taking on this role. This seems like one of those roles that she was born to play.
There was a documentary made back in 2013 called The Life and Crimes of Doris Payne, and in it, Payne talks about her crimes and goes into detail about how she pulled these heists off. I included the trailer for that documentary below in case you're interested.