Last month, we heard that Keira Knightley (the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise) had signed on to star in a serial killer drama based on the Boston Strangler murders, a project that is being produced by Ridley Scott. Now Deadline reports that Knightley is being joined in the cast by Carrie Coon (Ghostbusters: Afterlife), Alessandro Nivola (Face/Off), and Chris Cooper (11.22.63).
Matt Ruskin (Crown Heights) is writing and directing Boston Strangler, which begins filming next month in – appropriately – Boston. The movie will tell the true story of
Loretta McLaughlin, the first reporter to connect the murders and break the story of the Strangler. She and fellow reporter Jean Cole challenged the sexism of the early 1960s to report on the city’s most notorious serial killer and worked tirelessly to keep women informed. Loretta pursued the story at great personal risk and uncovered corruption that cast doubt on the true identity of the Boston Strangler.
Scott is producing Boston Strangler alongside Kevin Walsh and Michael Pruss of his company Scott Free, as well as Tom Ackerley and Josey McNamara of LuckyChap Entertainment. Sam Roston is overseeing for Scott Free, Bronte Payne is doing the same for LuckyChap, and Sarah Shepard is overseeing for 20th Century Studios.
The report of Knightley’s casting noted that Ruskin is a Boston native and “researched McLaughlin and Cole by tracking down their families and their actual research from the early ’60s.” The Boston Strangler murdered thirteen women in the Boston, Massachusetts area during the early 1960s.
I don’t know much about the Boston Strangler case, but this Boston Strangler movie is sounding promising, especially since it already has a hell of a cast in place. We’ll keep you updated as the project continues to move forward.
How does Boston Strangler sound to you? Let us know by leaving a comment below.