''The Burial'' is an upcoming American courtroom drama film directed by

Maggie Betts Margaret Betts (born New York City) is an American filmmaker. Her debut feature '' Novitiate'' was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival and received a Jury Award for her direction. Background Her father is Roland W. ...

and written by Doug Wright. It is based on the real story of lawyer

Willie E. Gary Willie E. Gary is an American lawyer. Early life and education Born Willie Edward Gary on July 12, 1947, in Eastman, GA he is the son of Turner (a sharecropper) and Mary Gary. He attended Shaw University on a football scholarship graduating ...

and his client Jeremiah Joseph O'Keefe's lawsuit against the Loewen funeral company, as documented in the 1999 '' New Yorker'' article of the same name by

Jonathan Harr Jonathan Harr is an American writer, best known for the nonfiction work'' A Civil Action''. Early life and education Jonathan Ensor Harr was born 13 September 1948, in Beloit, Wisconsin, the son of John Ensor Harr (1 August 1926 - 14 November 2004 ...

. It stars Jamie Foxx, Tommy Lee Jones, Jurnee Smollett, Mamoudou Athie, and Bill Camp. The film is scheduled to be released by Amazon Studios.

Premise

In 1995,

, an unconventional personal injury lawyer with an impressive track record, helps bankrupt funeral homeowner Jeremiah Joseph O'Keefe sue the Loewen funeral company led by

Raymond Loewen Raymond L. "Ray" Loewen (born June 27, 1940) is a former business owner and political figure in British Columbia. He represented Burnaby-Edmonds in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia from 1975 to 1979 as a Social Credit member. Born in ...

as a result of a contractual dispute. Gary ultimately won a $500 million jury verdict and the Loewen company filed for bankruptcy.

Cast

* Jamie Foxx as

* Tommy Lee Jones as Jerry O'Keefe * Jurnee Smollett * Mamoudou Athie * Bill Camp as

* Dorian Missick * Pamela Reed *

Amanda Warren Amanda Warren (born July 17, 1982) is an American actress. She is known for her role as Lucy Warburton on the HBO drama series '' The Leftovers'' and as Betty on the AppleTV+ comedy series '' Dickinson''. Early life Amanda Warren was born on ...

* Jim Klock * Alan Ruck *

Billy Slaughter William H. Slaughter is an American film and television actor, best known for his roles in '' The Campaign'' and ''Focus''. In his free time he works with students that want to become actors and actresses at Launch Model And Talent in Metairie, ...

Lance E. Nichols Lance E. Nichols (born July 13, 1955) is an American actor best known for playing dentist Larry Williams on '' Treme''. Early life and education A native of New Orleans, Louisiana, Nichols graduated from McDonogh 35 College Preparatory Charte ...

James E. Graves Jr. James Earl Graves Jr. (born November 19, 1953) is an American lawyer who serves as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Early years The son of a Baptist minister, Graves was born and raised i ...

Production

The film is an adaptation of Jonathan Harr's article "The Burial", published in 1999 by '' The New Yorker''. The project was originally developed at Warner Bros. In March 2018, Amazon Studios announced it was developing the film with Doug Wright writing the script and

Alexander Payne Constantine Alexander Payne (; born February 10, 1961) is an American film director, screenwriter and producer. He is best known for the films ''Citizen Ruth'' (1996), ''Election'' (1999), ''About Schmidt'' (2002), ''Sideways'' (2004), ''The Desc ...

in talks to direct. By November 2020,

came on board to direct with Jamie Foxx attached to star and produce. In October 2021, Tommy Lee Jones joined the cast in a role

Harrison Ford Harrison Ford (born July 13, 1942) is an American actor. His films have grossed more than $5.4billion in North America and more than $9.3billion worldwide, making him the seventh-highest-grossing actor in North America. He is the recipient o ...

was considered for. In November, Jurnee Smollett was added to the cast. Principal photography took place in New Orleans, starting in March 2022.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Burial, The Amazon Studios films American films based on actual events American legal drama films Drama films based on actual events Films about funerals Films based on newspaper and magazine articles Films produced by Trudie Styler Films set in Mississippi Films shot in New Orleans Upcoming films Upcoming English-language films