West Memphis Three: Jessie Misskelley Jr. To Produce 'Devil's Knot'

West Memphis Three Member to Produce 'Devil's Knot'

Last December, things began to take shape for "Devil's Knot," the West Memphis Three biopic, when Reese Witherspoon was cast as Pam Hobbs, the mother of murder victim Stevie Branch. Now Variety reports that one of the WM3 members, Jessie Misskelley Jr., has signed on as a producer.

The film, based on the Mara Leveritt book of the same name, tells the real-life story of the West Memphis Three, a group of teenagers accused of committing heinous murders in West Memphis, Arkansas.

After the trial, an HBO documentary called "Paradise Lost" was released, examining the case and lack of evidence used to convict the three. Soon after, celebrities like Eddie Vedder and Johnny Depp were taking up the group's cause. The WM3 would eventually serve 18 years in prison before they were released in 2011.

In addition to "Devil's Knot" and the three "Paradise Lost" movies, the West Memphis Three story will also be told in the Peter Jackson-produced documentary, "West of Memphis." On top of that, Deadline.com reported in February that Depp has optioned the rights to WM3 member Damien Echols' yet-to-be-published memoirs.

"Devil's Knot," which also stars Colin Firth, is set to begin production this summer.

[via Variety]

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