Darkwoods Productions Acquires Life Rights to Fictional Tokyo Rose

WEST HOLLYWOOD, Oct. 21, 2003: Director Frank Darabont ("The Shawshank Redemption," "The Green Mile") has acquired the life rights to Iva Toguri, the woman falsely accused and convicted of being the fictional character of Tokyo Rose during World War II. Darabont states, "We're deeply honored at Darkwoods to be the first and only people ever entrusted by Ms. Toguri, who is still alive, to tell her story." Wayne Merrill Collins, the son of the late Wayne Collins, who was Iva's attorney from the time she returned to the US up until his death, will serve as a consultant.

Darabont also said, "This is a stunning true-life story, the kind you can't make up, about the only American ever convicted by our country of treason whose conviction was eventually and unconditionally overturned by presidential pardon. It's about enormous personal courage and integrity in the face of rabid public sentiment, media villainy, cultural and racial hatred, and startling judicial injustice -- courage not just on the part of Iva Toguri, but also on the part of Wayne Collins, the fiery San Francisco lawyer whose defense of Ms. Toguri became a decades-long crusade for the Collins family."

Darkwoods is currently in discussions with Christopher Hampton ("Dangerous Liaisons," "The Quiet American") to write the screenplay. Darabont will be directing the film as well as producing through his production company, Darkwoods Productions, with Barbara Trembley, who brought the project to Darkwoods attention. Anna Garduno, President of Production at Darkwoods, is also producing with Darkwoods VP, Denise Huth, Associate Producing.