In addition to the three Paradise Lost films and Peter Jackson’s own recently announced documentary, it looks like we’ll be getting at least one more movie based on the real-life story of the West Memphis Three. Director Atom Egoyan (Chloe) has announced plans to create a fictional feature based on the book Devil’s Knot: The True Story of the West Memphis Three, written by investigative journalist Mara Leveritt. It will chronicle the events that led to the wrongful conviction of Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley Jr. for the murder of three eight-year-old boys with little to no physical evidence supporting it. They were finally released from prison just a few months ago after serving over 18 years, which is one of the reasons why the story is becoming such a hot commodity in Hollywood. This week the project has landed its very first cast member in the form of Reese Witherspoon. With a big name like that involved, this project seems likely to attract a lot more attention.

According to Deadline, Witherspoon has signed on to play Pam Hobbs, the mother of one of the victims and one of the many who was initially convinced that the West Memphis Three had committed the crime. She later changed her mind and began to publicly question the jury’s verdict. The script for the film was written by Scott Derrickson and Paul Boardman (The Exorcism Of Emily Rose) back in 2006 and is now undergoing some rewrites. Since the book was released in 2003, I’m assuming they’ll have a bit of work to do filling in the events that have transpired since then.

It’s a bit surprising that an A-lister like Reese Witherspoon would sign on for a smaller supporting role in this film, and it makes me wonder who they might get to play the West Memphis Three themselves. There are many celebrities who have come out in support of the WM3 over the years and some of them might even take a pay cut in order to be involved. That being said, it’s still hard to envision a fictionalized version of this story since the Paradise Lost documentaries have already become so ingrained in our minds. Are you looking forward to Devil’s Knot? Is a fictional retelling of this story worth pursuing or is it just a waste of time?