Smart Family Fields Book, Movie Offers (Isn't that Special!)

SALT LAKE CITY - Hollywood loves a gripping saga, especially one with a happy — and astonishing — ending like the Elizabeth Smart kidnapping.

So it's no surprise that in the five days since the kidnapped teen returned home, the family's spokesman has fielded more than 3,000 media calls and received nearly 100 film, book or made-for-TV-movie proposals.

The potential audience for a real-life drama is enormous, if hits to the Smart family Web site are any indication. In the first hours after Elizabeth was found alive and returned home Wednesday, more than 3 million people had visited the site.

Her story, outlined by investigators, is a screenwriter's dream: Kidnapped at knifepoint — allegedly by homeless drifter Brian David Mitchell — Elizabeth lived with the self-proclaimed prophet and his wife Wanda Barzee for nine months.

Family members say she was so brainwashed she didn't try to escape, even when she had the chance.

Sharp-eyed witnesses recognized Mitchell and called police Wednesday. The suspects were arrested, Elizabeth was returned home, and people across the country rejoiced.

Mitchell and Barzee remained in jail Sunday awaiting charges, which could come as early as Monday.

Chris Thomas, a spokesman for parents Ed and Lois Smart, said they will begin to review production offers in the next few weeks.

"It's something that they're going to deal with soon. They're trying to figure this all out — it comes down to let someone else tell the story, or tell it themselves," Thomas said.

USA, ABC, NBC, CBS and Lifetime are all reportedly interested in obtaining rights to the story.

"It really covers the broad spectrum. I haven't looked at all of them, and I don't want to disclose specific names and studios or other entities, but we've been contacted by some really big names," said Thomas.

Rumors that John Walsh, host of the television show "America's Most Wanted," has been pushing Ed Smart for a production deal are false, said Thomas. Walsh has interviewed the father for his show and the two became close after Elizabeth's disappearance.

"It came up in a discussion between Ed and John, when Ed was asking John for advice on a number of things. John said, 'I'm not even going to go there. I've read rumors that I've got the inside source on this. I do have a production company and if you're interested you can talk to me, but I'm not pitching you. That would be a really tacky thing to do in my capacity,'" Thomas said.

Thomas said the family has not begun to consider a price, because they haven't decided yet whether to go along with any production, movie or book.

"Right now, their main focus is on Elizabeth and books and movies and exterior things are secondary," he said. "The family is being very calculated in every action, and weighing the pros and cons of everything with the predominant priority being Elizabeth's well-being."

Then the two Smart girls who were eyewitnesses to the incident have conflicting stories, do they not?

Yes, they do, but in my opinion is irrelevant.

First off, MK has been reported to have seen the man with a dark object in his hands thought to be a black gun. So, the story has been that MK saw a black gun. However, you must remember also that it was dark in that roon on June 5 and, what MK thought was a gun might, in fact, had been a knife as Elizabeth later confirmed it. Moreover, MK may have only have seen a profile of the object or a partial object that looked to her to be a gun. Furthermore, a nine year-old girl might have been influenced by movies or her fragile personality affected by seeing the worst. So, in her mind she might have seen a gun rather than a knife.

I don't think MK clearly saw whether the dark object was a gun or a knife and her contradiction with what actually turned out to be a knife is not important.

James Sensenbrenner is my congressman. Ed Smart did an unwarrented thing by looking into the camera and addressing Congressman Sensenbrenner the way he did. People who are sympathetic to the Smart family, took Ed's words as gospel and inundated the Congressman's office and almost shut it down. These people didn't check out if Mr. Smart was telling the truth or not..they took his words and acted AGAINST the Congressman. That is why Ed Smart was very very wrong.

To paraphrase, yet be almost exact, Ed Smart, hours after his daughter was found, giving his first interview, looked into the camera with faux tears, raised his voice, pointed to the camera and spoke to the Congressman:

" You (Sensenbrenner), are the reason this Bill has not gone through. YOU will be held responsible for the BLOOD of those children...I will be on YOUR head and I will be hounding YOU. "

I refuse to allow the "excuse" that Ed Smart is tired and stressed. He has an agenda, and planned it all. I approve of the Amber Alert, but the way he did it...without the facts...and defamed this Congressman who INITIATED the Bill in the first place.It is just immature and demeaning by a man who could have had more tact and chose not to exercise it with dignity.

I find it very odd that he didn't remark on the man who supposidly took his daughter, but lashed out on Congressman Sensenbrenner. This may sound logical to most people about the Amber Alert, but the way he did it was just plain wrong. And for John Walsh to chime in , in agreement with Mr. Smart is just as wrong.

I can understand stress. I had a missing daughter for 6 months. What I can't understand are many odd things this family has done from the beginning that people all across the country have seen and talked about. It has nothing to do with the sadness we felt about this beautiful girl missing..or the joy of her being found. I think there is a whole lot of trouble in and from this family. The words " The End " are not put on this story yet.

I am also tired of people calling other's "Smart haters". What I have typed here are things that happened in front of cameras for all to see. They are not made up, as many posts in the past have been transcripts of actual conferences where things were said by the family. People who raise questions aren't haters. They want the truth. They want the truth for Elizabeth. And I suspect there are many questions to be asked. I hope they come out in a court of law, because something is wrong, and has been from the start.

Sensenbrenner Statement on Elizabeth Smart and Child Kidnaping Legislation

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