West Memphis 3 film Devil’s Knot, starring Firth & Witherspoon, green-lit at Cannes

Last Updated on July 23, 2021

After seeing PARADISE LOST 3 on HBO, I’ve been banging the drum for any movie that serves to justify The West Memphis 3. Last December we told you about Atom Egoyan setting up THE DEVIL’S KNOT with Reese Witherspoon, only to hear in February that Oscar winner Colin Firth had joined the cause. Well folks, expect the KNOT to be tied soon, as word from THR says the film just got a green light at Cannes. Peep it…

In a deal struck at the Cannes Film Market, Worldview Entertainment will finance and produce THE DEVIL’S KNOT. TWC is handling further sales at the international marketplace, with actual WM3 defendants Jason Baldwin and Jesse Misskelly exec-producing.

Adapted from Mara Leveritt’s novel by Paul Harris Boardman and Scott Derrickson:

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.

Egoyan will likely start shooting in Georgia next month.