Indie distributor Roadside Attractions has acquired U.S. rights to Edward Zwick’s true-crime drama “Trial by Fire,” the company announced on Monday.
The film, starring Laura Dern and Jack O’Connell, was adapted by Geoffrey Fletcher (“Precious”) and is based on David Grann’s article in The New Yorker about the unlikely bond between a death row inmate (O’Connell) and a mother of two from Houston (Dern) who, though facing staggering odds, fights for his freedom.
“Trial by Fire” had its world premiere during the 2018 Telluride Film Festival in August. Roadside plans to release the film on May 17.
“I first read David Grann’s article, ‘Trial by Fire’ in The New Yorker nearly ten years ago.