The life of Jade Goody, the reality television star who died on Sunday, could be turned into a film, her friends said yesterday. Meanwhile, publishers scrambled to bring out books about the former Big Brother contestant.

While the life of the 27-year-old may have passed by anyone who did not watch the Channel 4 reality show or failed to pick up OK! magazine, her death from cervical cancer has attracted huge interest and, perhaps inevitably, growing tension over the scramble to profit from her story.

By yesterday more than 500 floral tributes had been laid outside Goody's home in Upshire, Essex.

Her funeral, certain to dominate the 24-hour news channels, will take place on Saturday week.

Goody's death has prompted the trustees of her estate to put together proposals for a biographical film. It has also sparked a row between publishers with a renamed autobiography expected to go on sale at the weekend, in direct competition with her official “cancer diary”.

Danny Hayward, a friend of Goody and one of three trustees of a fund set up to provide for her two children, Bobby, 5, and Freddie, 4, told The Times that a film of her life was being discussed. “Her story lends itself to a biographical film,” he said. “She's captured the mood of the nation. We're talking about it, and we welcome approaches. We want it to tap into raising awareness of cervical cancer.”

It is understood that the family are keen on approaching Nick Love, the British director behind The Football Factory, the 2004 film about hooliganism, who also worked as executive producer on Bronson, the recently released biography of the man dubbed Britain's most violent prisoner.

Love could not be reached yesterday, but sources at his company, Vertigo Films, said that he was “very flattered” about the suggestion and that his involvement would depend on his work schedule.

Sources close to Goody's family said that they were furious with John Blake Publishing, which has renamed the paperback release of Goody's second book, Catch A Falling Star, published in September, as Jade: Fighting to the End.

The publisher has also changed the front cover to include her dates of birth and death, despite the book containing no reference to her battle against cancer. “It is being passed off as current, when it isn't,” a friend of Goody said.

The book is being rushed to stores and is expected to be on the shelves by the end of this week, where it will be in direct competition with Forever in My Heart, Goody's official “cancer diary”, published by HarperCollins, which is owned by News Corporation, the parent company of The Times.

A proportion of profits from the HarperCollins book will be donated to Marie Curie Cancer Care. A spokeswoman for the publisher said that it was scheduled for release in late April, but that it may be brought forward.

John Blake, of John Blake Publishing, denied that he was cashing in by renaming his company's book. He said: “The advance has been earned back and all the royalties from ours will go to the boys.”

Initial arrangements for Goody's funeral were announced yesterday. The cortège will travel from her home to St John's Baptist Church, in Buckhurst Hill, where a service for family and friends will take place. There are plans to transmit audio from the service to wellwishers outside the church, and the feasibility of installing television screens is also being investigated. However, friends of Goody said that there were no plans to sell television rights. “Will there be a deal like there was with the wedding?” said one. “Definitely not.”

None of the terrestrial broadcasters has any plans to screen programmes about Goody, but Living TV, the satellite channel, will screen a two-part retrospective. The first part of Jade: With Love will be aired on March 26, with the second a week later.

Jade’s genre

Film

Catch a Falling Star Provisional title of a biographical film about Goody’s life, proposed by the trustees of her estate and based on her second autobiography of the same name

Books

Jade: Fighting to the End (John Blake Publishing) Goody’s second autobiography is being renamed and rushed out. Sources close to the family accuse the company of cashing in on her death

Forever In my Heart (HarperCollins) Diary of Goody’s fight against cervical cancer is scheduled for release next month, but may be brought forward. A percentage of the profits will be donated to Marie Curie Cancer Care

Jade – Remember Me This Way: Favourite Photos from Eight Years in the Limelight (HandE) Picture book put together by Danny Hayward and Simon Bridger, trustees of Goody’s estate. Profits to Marie Curie. Out on April 6

Television

Jade: With Love Two-part retrospective to be aired by Living TV on March 26 and April 2, which will include new interviews with close friends as well as archive footage

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