REUTERS/Danny Moloshok (UNITED STATES - Tags: ENTERTAINMENT) (MTV-ARRIVALS)Actress Reese Witherspoon arrives at the 2011 MTV Movie Awards in Los Angeles, June 5, 2011.
Reese Witherspoon will star in a new movie called "Devil's Knot," which is based on the West Memphis Three.
The 35-year-old will star as the mother of one of the accused teenage boys, who was convicted and jailed for the killing of three 8-year-old boys in Arkansas, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The film will be based on Mara Leveritt's nonfiction book Devil’s Knot: The True Story of the West Memphis Three.
The West Memphis Three was the moniker used for a controversial case involving three teenage boys from Arkansas. They were convicted of killing Stevie Branch, Michael Moore, and Christopher Byers in 1994 despite questionable evidence.
After serving 18 years and 78 days in prison, Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Misskelley, Jr. were released August of this year after new evidence cleared them of having any involvement in the crime.
The case grabbed international headlines after a 1996 documentary raised questions that led many to believe the teens had been falsely accused of committing the crimes.
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Celebrities like actor Johnny Depp and singer Natalie Maines used their fame to help bring publicity to the trio and call for their release. Their efforts paid off, as the public grabbed hold of the case, and investigators were forced to reexamine the boys' arrest.
Witherspoon, who recently married talent agent Jim Toth, will play a mother who at first believes her son is guilty before realizing he is actually innocent.
The film is believed to have a $20 million budget, and filming will commence in the spring of next year.
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