LOS ANGELES (AP) - A TV movie about the O.J. Simpson murder trial will feature all of the major figures in the landmark criminal case except one - Simpson himself.

Lawrence Schiller, who co-authored, ''American Tragedy; The Uncensored Story of the Simpson Defense'' with James Willwerth, said yesterday the Simpson character will be ''a presence'' in the film but will not be depicted by an actor.

Schiller's book is the basis for the screenplay.

''O.J. doesn't exist in the film,'' he said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. ''This is a film about attorneys dealing with evidence and the real process that goes on behind the scenes. Simpson will be a presence but not a character.''

Schiller said famed author Norman Mailer has agreed to write the screenplay and Oscar-winning director Barry Levinson will direct.

Schiller, who is producing the film, said it will be presented as a Sunday night three-hour special on ABC.

''We hope to start filming at the end of this year and the picture is slated for May of next year,'' he said.

Schiller said he tapped Levinson for the project because the director of the recent ''Wag The Dog'' and ''has the ability to bring humor, wit and irony into the most difficult circumstances.''

Schiller collaborated with Simpson on his jailhouse book, ''I Want to Tell You.''

''American Tragedy'' is an inside look at the defense team that won Simpson's acquittal in the 1994 slayings of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman.

The book was written before the wrongful death trial concluded early last year. In that trial, Simpson was found liable for the killings and ordered to pay $33.5 million in damages to the families of the victims.