Melissa Joan Hart is taking on a disturbing real-life role in her next project. The Sabrina the Teenage Witch star will portray a convicted serial killer in an upcoming Lifetime movie. The film will explore the crimes that earned the killer the nickname “The Black Widow.”
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Hart will play Judy Buenoano in Black Widow Killer: The Judy Buenoano Story. The true-crime film will premiere on Lifetime on January 23, 2027, at 8 p.m. ET. Hart will also serve as an executive producer.
Melissa Joan Hart’s Lifetime movie adds Chris Bauer and Matthew Settle to its cast
Chris Bauer and Matthew Settle have joined the cast of the upcoming production. Bauer will play Detective Chamberlain, one of the investigators examining the case, while Settle will portray John Gentry, Buenoano’s fiancé. Agam Darshi is directing the film from a screenplay by Taylor Martin.
The story follows Buenoano, a Florida salon owner and mother whose life comes under investigation after Gentry survives a car bombing. Set during the 1970s and 1980s, the film follows detectives as they investigate the attack and discover evidence of other suspicious deaths linked to Buenoano.
As the investigation progresses, evidence raises questions about whether these incidents were tragic coincidences or part of a calculated plan. The film will explore how the investigation exposes the truth behind Buenoano’s seemingly ordinary life.
Authorities convicted Buenoano of murdering her son, Michael, and her first husband, James Goodyear. They also convicted her of attempting to murder her fiancé, Gentry. Her crimes involved insurance-related schemes, and Florida executed her in 1998.
Hart’s Hartbreak Films Inc. is producing the film with Tiny Riot and Fox Entertainment Studios. Paula Hart will executive produce alongside Jason Egenberg, Fernando Szew, Hannah Pillemer, Larry Grimaldi, and Julianna Hays. Meanwhile, Fox Entertainment Global will oversee international distribution.
The film adds another case to Lifetime’s winter “Ripped From the Headlines” lineup, which features stories based on real events. It explores Buenoano’s relationships and the investigation that exposed her crimes.
Originally reported on ComingSoon.
