The notorious story of former suburban Chicago policeman and murder suspect Drew Peterson makes its movie debut Saturday on the Lifetime channel. 

The real Drew Peterson is awaiting trial in the Will County Detention Center for murdering his third wife, Kathleen Savio. The Lifetime television version of Drew Peterson is played by actor Rob Lowe.

Peterson’s lawyer Joel Brodsky saw the movie and said it’s a work of fiction and fantasy.

“Obviously they wanted him to be a menacing figure. And I think Rob Lowe in playing Drew Peterson was about as menacing as Mickey Mouse,” Brodsky said.

The movie is coming out before Peterson’s trial, a move Brodsky disapproves of.

“Apparently Lifetime thinks the right to a fair trial is less important than their profit motive,” Brodsky said.

He worried the movie preceeding the trial will bias the jury. He’s even gone as far as saying he’ll try to move the trial elsewhere if the Neilsen ratings are too high in Will County, where Peterson is currently being detained. 

But journalist Joe Hosey, who wrote the book the Lifetime movie is based on, doesn’t buy the argument.

“I mean, they poisoned the jury pool on their own a long time ago. Joel Brodsky and Drew Peterson made a mockery of a very serious situation in a very public fashion,” Hosey said.

Hosey said he never would have imagined the handsome Rob Lowe as Peterson, but he was thrilled with the choice of actors and called the film “powerful.” He’s already seen it, but plans to watch it again with friends and family Saturday night.

As for whether or not Peterson will see the movie debut, too, Brodsky said.

“Drew is in jail, not a hotel. So what programs they have on the TV are up to the jail authorities,” Brodsky said. “So he’ll have to wait and see.”