First look: Amanda Knox-inspired film The Face of an Angel

A scene from the trailer for The Face of an Angel. Photo/YouTube

The first trailer for a new film inspired by the Amanda Knox and Meredith Kercher murder case has premiered on Variety's website, starring British actress Kate Beckinsale, German actor Daniel Bruhl and supermodel Cara Delevingne.

Directed by Michael Winterbottom, The Face of an Angel is a movie adaptation of US journalist Barbie Latza Nadeau's book, Angel Face: Sex, Murder and the Inside Story of Amanda Knox.

Beckinsale, 40, plays Simone Ford, a journalist investigating a young woman accused of murder, while Bruhl, known for his role as Niki Lauda in Formula One movie Rush, takes on the role of a struggling filmmaker.

Watch the teaser trailer for The Face of an Angel:

Bruhl's character, Thomas, is commissioned to write a film about a "quiet" murdered student and the "sexual, dominating" roommate accused of killing her. Delevinge plays Thomas's romantic interest, Melanie.

Dutch actress Genevieve Gaunt appears as the character based on Knox. The 21-year old actress appeared in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban as Pansy Parkinson in 2004.

As the film is only loosely-based on the real-life murder case, Winterbottom has no plans to change The Face of an Angel following recent court updates, according to industry reports.

"We bought the rights to the book that tells the story of the trial," the British filmmaker told The Hollywood Reporter. "But our film is not really about that, so we are always a bit wary of even saying that."

"Our film is actually about losing a daughter, losing someone close to you; why are we so interested in violence and why are we not more interested in love," he continued.

British student Kercher, 21, was found dead in a pool of blood in the Perugia flat she shared with Seattle-born Knox, 26, in 2007. Kercher had been sexually assaulted and her throat had been slashed.

In 2009, Knox and her Italian boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito were found guilty of her murder, but they were freed in 2011 after being acquitted.

A Florence court reinstated their guilty convictions after a retrial last week. Lawyers are due to appeal the decision.

The Face of an Angel is currently in post-production and is due for release later this year.

- The Independent