Goldie Hawn Gets Serious

By Stephen M. Silverman

07/03/1998 at 12:00 AM EDT

The tragic events surrounding the murder of gay college student Matthew Shepard in Laramie, Wyo., two years ago will be the basis for an NBC TV movie currently being developed by Goldie Hawn's production company. Variety reports that "The Matthew Shepard Story" will be told from the perspective of his mother, Judy Shepard, who has given her blessing to the project. The film is expected to air at the end of the current TV season. In an act of brutality that outraged much of the nation, Shepard was tied to a fence, beaten and left for dead by two men who believed Shepard had made sexual advances toward them in a bar. So far, no word on any casting, though Hawn, whose Cherry Alley Prods., is behind the production, is not expected to star, a source has told PEOPLE.com. While she is best known for light comedy, Hawn, 54, told Variety, "Cherry Alley's first goal is to entertain, but at the same time we want to have a positive impact on the viewers we reach."