Alexander Payne in talks to helm The Burial legal drama for Amazon Studios

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

While certain members of the Hollywood elite are hoping to avoid paying a visit to a courtroom, DOWNSIZING director Alexander Payne is looking to create a little legal drama of his own with THE BURIAL, a true-life crime feature for Amazon Studios.

THE BURIAL follows Willie Gary, a successful personal-injury lawyer from Mississippi, as he takes on the case of Jeremiah O'Keefe, the owner of a local chain of funeral homes. O'Keefe claims he had been swindled by a major funeral parlor conglomerate. Also a motivational speaker, Gary is known for taking on David v. Goliath-type cases, winning suits against companies like Disneyland and Anheuser-Busch.

The film will be written by Pulitzer-winning playwright Doug Wright, who's courtroom drama will go on to join a list of other crime-related features such as 12 ANGRY MEN, THE VERDICT, A FEW GOOD MEN, PRIMAL FEAR, PHILADELPHIA, and of course, MY COUSIN VINNY.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

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Born and raised in New York, then immigrated to Canada, Steve Seigh has been a JoBlo.com editor, columnist, and critic since 2012. He started with Ink & Pixel, a column celebrating the magic and evolution of animation, before launching the companion YouTube series Animation Movies Revisited. He's also the host of the Talking Comics Podcast, a personality-driven audio show focusing on comic books, film, music, and more. You'll rarely catch him without headphones on his head and pancakes on his breath.