And the third and final defendant is found!
After settling on the most vital role of THE DEVIL’S KNOT, Atom Egoyan has pegged newcomer Seth Meriwether to play Jason Baldwin, one of the West Memphis 3. Justin Castor was previously in talks for the role, but Variety says otherwise.
Meriwether (above), like James Hamrick (set to play Damien Echols), is still in university. He’s been acting since age 11, and has lined up the Clint Eastwood flick TROUBLE WITH THE CURVE.
As for the KNOT, Colin Firth will play Ron Lax, a private investigator who was the first pro bono supporter of the defendants as they headed to trial in 1993. Lax built one of the most prominent private investigative firms in the Southeast, and offered his services for free to the defendants, who at the time were reviled because of the heinous nature of the crime and the sensationalized reports about devil worship and ritualistic sacrifice.
Mireille Enos will play Vicki Hutcheson, the mother of an 8-year-old boy who lives in a run-down house in West Memphis. She becomes an important witness in the murder trial of Damien Echols (Hamrick), Jason Baldwin (Meriwether) and Jessie Misskelley (Kris Higgins) for the killing of three 8-year-old boys found hog-tied in a drainage ditch. Hutcheson, it becomes apparent to investigators, could be the only link between Echols and Misskelley.
Alessandro Nivola will play Terry Hobbs, the stepfather of one of the young victims. It’s a pivotal role in the film; Hobbs is a controversial figure who has consistently denied any role in the murders but has come under suspicion in the 20 years since the crime was committed. He has never been charged and evidence against him is inconclusive. His relationship with his wife Pam Hobbs (Reese Witherspoon) forms the backbone of the story.
Definitely seems worth seeing!
Reese!
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