What Will Amanda Knox Do Now?

This afternoon, about 90 minutes after Amanda Knox was acquitted, she left an Italian prison for the first time in four years. Knox is scheduled to return to the U.S. tomorrow on a commercial flight from Rome, and we’re guessing her thoughts are focused on seeing her friends and family and sleeping in her own bed. But she shouldn’t spend too much time reacclimating to her life in the U.S., because apparently she has a media career to plot out. After all, it’s been a few weeks since the Casey Anthony story died down, and we’re coming dangerously close to being forced to talk about non-salacious news.

The Knox case has been a media circus from the start, but it should ramp up even more now that there’s been a dramatic twist in the case that freed up a fetching young woman for TV appearances. Harold Vogel, author of Entertainment Industry Economics says that Knox is an even bigger “get” now, “especially since she was acquitted there’s not the feeling that you’re contributing to someone who’s committed a crime.” Americans tend to agree with today’s verdict, so news outlets won’t have to deal with the accusation that they’re providing a killer with a platform, as they would with a Casey Anthony interview.

Knox has already been the focus of a TV movie and several books, and now these can be rereleased with updated endings. Today Lifetime announced that Amanda Knox: Murder on Trial, the movie that prompted Knox to file a civil suit to prevent further distribution, will have a new epilogue when it reairs tomorrow. Previously, director Michael Winterbottom had expressed interest in doing a feature film about the case, with Colin Firth starring as a journalist.

Eventually, Knox will need to figure out how to earn a living, and with all the media attention she wouldn’t really be able to get a temporary waitressing job even if she wanted to. There are rumors that Knox wrote her memoirs while in prison, and she could easily get a six-figure book deal. Or, she could go the sleazier route and accept a job offer from Seattle radio station KQMV. A statement issued just minutes after her acquittal said:

“We’re glad you’re free Amanda and look forward to welcoming you home! We believed in you all along, so much so, that we would like to extend an offer of $10,000 to you to come host our morning show for one week with Brooke and Jubal in the morning! We would all love to hear what you have to say and maybe help a little with the legal bills. Once again, welcome home!”

What a generous offer!

Then again, there’s always the possibility that after years of being attacked by the press, Knox will want to avoid media attention altogether. Supporters tell the BBC that she’s talked about wanting to regain her privacy along with her freedom. Knox’s friend Jessica Nichols says she’s mentioned possibly doing translating work, or pursuing a profession more directly related to her nightmare study abroad trip. Nichols says:

“She wants to work with people who are wrongfully imprisoned, and hopefully use her experience to benefit others, and make something good out of all of this ugliness.”

What’s Next For Amanda Knox? Interview Requests [MSNBC]
Michael Winterbottom Wants Colin Firth For Amanda Knox Trial Movie [Cinemablend]
Amanda Knox Already Getting ‘Job Offers,’ Movie Rewrites [Seattle PI]
Amanda Knox: What Does The Future Hold? [BBC]

Earlier: Amanda Knox Acquitted In Italian Court; Released From Custody
Amanda Knox Gets New DNA Analysis, Asks Court To Block Lifetime Movie