CBS to air Elizabeth Smart ordeal

After months of negotiations, CBS has given the go-ahead to a TV movie about Elizabeth Smart and is set to announce a deal that would bring the story of the Salt Lake girl's kidnapping and eventual rescue to a nationwide audience.

CBS is targeting the telefilm for the November sweeps period — close to the scheduled late October release date of the family's book, "Bringing Elizabeth Home: A Journey of Faith and Hope."

Both the book and movie will tell the story of Elizabeth's kidnapping and safe return through the experiences of her parents, Ed and Lois Smart.

"The focus of the book is how we dealt with the whole nine months, the ups and downs, how we filled different roles, how we felt differently about things but how we worked together and relied on each other to make it through," Ed Smart told the Deseret Morning News Thursday.

Ed Smart would not say how much money his family was paid for the book and movie deals. Early industry reports from unidentified sources said the Smarts could get $400,000 to $500,000 for the story, the Associated Press reported. Former Smart family spokesman Chris Thomas estimated the family received more than 100 book and film proposals following Elizabeth's safe return.

CBS has signed a deal with Von Zerneck/Sertner Films and Patricia Clifford Productions, which acquired the rights to Ed and Lois Smart's story.

Ed Smart referred any comments about the film to CBS.

"We're happy that they're doing it," he said of the television network.

According to sources at CBS, the movie will focus on the search from the perspective of Elizabeth's parents. There will be some information about Elizabeth's ordeal in captivity, but the network and the producers have committed to avoiding exploitation of the story as much as possible.

The movie deal does not include any exclusive interviews with 15-year-old Elizabeth, her father said.

"We haven't made any promises to anyone with regard to Elizabeth, and we are not planning on anyone interviewing her," Ed Smart said. "Her privacy is something we have been trying to secure, and her life has had so little privacy that we felt it's important for her to be able to keep the little bit that she has."

Elizabeth will start her sophomore year next week at East High School, where she plans to compete as a member of the school's cross country team, her father said.

"She can hardly wait," Ed Smart said.