Scarlett Johansson may star as video game developer Zoe Quinn in an adaptation of Quinn's upcoming memoir "Crash Override: How to Save the Internet From Itself," which is set to be published next year.
The book, Crash Override: How To Save The Internet From Itself, is due to be published by Simon & Schuster. The film rights have already been sold to Sony-backed Pascal Films.
Entitled "Control Alt Delete," the movie will be produced by Amy Pascal, a producer on the upcoming Sony-Marvel reboot of Spider-Man, under her Pascal Pictures banner along with Rachel O'Connor, according to Deadline. Pascal had her private communications exposed in the Sony email leaks.
Johansson was also a victim of Internet harassment in 2012, when the "Hollywood Hacker" hacked her email account, along with stars like Mila Kunis, and posted nude photos of Johansson online.
"Just because you're in the spotlight or just because you're an actor or make films doesn't mean you're not entitled to your own personal privacy," Johansson told CNN at the time.
"No matter what the context, when that is sieged in some way it feels unjust, it feels wrong."
The Hacker was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison.
According to TheWrap's Jeff Sneider, Johansson is one of several actresses who have expressed interest in portraying Quinn.
The screenplay is being written by Wall Street Journal reporters Rebecca Angelo and Lauren Schuker.
Quinn is the author of indie game Depression Quest.
The film will follow the abuse and harassment that followed the controversial game developer after an ex-boyfriend posted a blog that led to the Gamergate movement. GamerGate was a campaign to expose ethical lapses and bias by videogames journalists.
Quinn fought back against the backlash by launching volunteer-run task force Crash Override for victims and targets of online mob hatred.
Quinn's ex-boyfriend alleged she cheated on him several times , She was accused online of sleeping with journalists in exchange for good reviews for her game. The book talks about misogyny in the video game world.
Quinn made a speech about how people who are targeted by online harassment in her speech at XOXO, a festival celebrating independently produced art and technology in Portland, Oregon, in September. The optimistic victim held out hope about the future of the internet. Quinn provides learning resources for indie game developers on sites such as Sorting Hat and Games Are For Everyone.
Quinn took to Twitter to explain she wanted to expose how bad harassment can be online.
"I am mostly hoping to do the subject matter justice and reduce the number of times people hear "it's just the internet get offline," she tweeted as Lewd Bu (@TheQuinnspiracy) on November 6, 2015,
"Gaming and internet message boards used to be niche interests, mostly for young men," Quinn wrote in her proposal. "In the past few years, however, they've gone mainstream.
"Millions of people-including women and other marginalized people-have taken an interest in the platforms, image boards, and discussion forums that once belonged by default to a much smaller population," she wrote.
"Most gamers give zero fucks about this. Like the rest of us, they're just here to play games. But a vocal minority are clinging onto the brand of Cheetos-and-Mountain-Dew exclusionary identity 'hardcore gamer,' muttering 'fuckin casuals' under their breath."
The book Crash Override will be released in September 2016.
