Jonah Hill, fresh off his Oscar nomination for MONEYBALL, is set to star as journalist Michael Finkel alongside James Franco as convicted murderer Christian Longo in an adaptation of Finkel’s memoir TRUE STORY, which will be produced by Brad Pitt’s production company.
Hill seems to be taking a familiar turn for a lot of actors who start off in comedy and then veer into dramatic territory (Robin Williams, Jim Carey, Tom Hanks, etc.). I suppose it’s an expected course of action, especially after an Oscar nomination, but are audiences ready to accept Hill as a dramatic actor? Time will tell.
The story goes a little something like this:
Longo, after being captured in Mexico after murdering his family, had stolen the identity of Finkel and later said he would only talk to the real Finkel when preparing to go to trial for the murders. Finkel was facing his own dilemma after being fired from his job for falsifying an investigative article, but decided to meet with Longo anyway. The relationship turned into a bizarre experience for Finkel as his encounters with Longo began a new investigative process into Longo’s murders.
Check out the book for more details and expect more announcements as this develops.