GEORGE CLOONEY - CLOONEY SET TO BRING GRISHAM BOOK TO BIG SCREEN

GEORGE CLOONEY has signed on to bring JOHN GRISHAM's real-life tale about a man wrongly sentenced to death to the big screen. The OUT OF SIGHT star has purchased the rights to Grisham's non-fiction book, THE INNOCENT MAN: MURDER AND INJUSTICE IN A SMALL TOWN, which was released in October (06). The book tells the true story of a gross miscarriage of justice that sent RON WILLIAMSON to Oklahoma's death row for 11 years for a murder he didn't commit. Williamson was convicted based on eyewitness testimony from the man who was ultimately convicted of the murder. Grisham's previous courtroom thrillers THE FIRM, THE RAINMAKER, THE CLIENT and A TIME TO KILL have sparked fevered bidding wars, culminating in a then-record $8 million (GBP4 million) deal for RUNAWAY JURY. Grisham has been disappointed with several of the adaptations of his books and decided to take a pay cut in order to have more creative control over his projects. He decided to hand over the rights only after several conversations with Clooney and film partner GRANT HESLOV and viewing their Oscar-nominated film GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK.