For anyone who has followed the story of the West Memphis Three over the past two decades or watched any of the Paradise Lost documentaries, it has been very interesting to see a narrative film based on the events slowly starting to take shape. Canadian director Atom Egoyan will be the first to tackle the subject as a feature, calling the story “a piece of American mythology.” His film The Devil’s Knot is still currently in the process of filling out the sizable cast, mixing A-list actors like Colin Firth and Reese Witherspoon with unknowns like drama student James Hamrick, who landed the role of Damien Echols. Now this week they have found one of the other key pieces of the puzzle in casting John Mark Byers, father of one of the murdered boys and a one-time suspect in the murder.

According to Variety, Canadian actor Kevin Durand will play Mark Byers, taking on one of the more eccentric and complex roles in the film. Byers initially talked to the press a lot during the trial, shouting fire and brimstone and calling for the boys to be punished to the greatest extent of the law. He also featured prominently in the Paradise Lost films, where he gave the filmmakers a knife that had blood on it as a gift. He was eventually cleared of all suspicion and became a vocal supporter of the Free the WM3 movement.

Durand seems like a solid choice for the role, having played plenty of villains but also having a physical resemblance to Byers. He is best known for playing mercenary Martin Keamy on Lost and also for appearances in such films as Legion, Robin Hood and Real Steel. He most recently played Robert Pattinson’s bodyguard in David Cronenberg’s Cosmopolis. What do you think, will Kevin Durand pull off the perfect performance as John Mark Byers?