Reese Witherspoon - Reese Witherspoon To Star In Controversial Murder Flick

The Hollywood actress will play Pam Hobbs, the mother of one of the victims who initially believed the trio murdered her son before being persuaded that they are innocent and wrongly accused. The script for Devil's Knot is based on investigate reporter Mara Leveritt's 2003 book Devil's Knot: The True Story of the West Memphis Three. Although the film is based on true events, there is no rights deal in place with the accused, Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley Jr because at the time the movie got the green-light, two were serving life sentences and the other was on death row. The three men have been the subject of two HBO documentaries, 'Paradise Lost' and 'Paradise Lost 2: Revelations', which detailed the controversial convictions and the questionable evidence presented in court. According to the New York Daily News, Hollywood star Johnny Depp, rocker Eddie Vedder and Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson championed their cause.

Devil's Knot may turn out to be the darkest movie Witherspoon has taken on in years. She comes off the back of turns in the light-hearted Water for Elephants, romantic-comedy How Do You Know and festive flick Four Christmases.