Reese Witherspoon Signs On for Devil's Knot Movie

Reese Witherspoon has reportedly signed on to star in “Devil’s Knot,” which will be directed by Atom Egoyan, and will be a fresh take of the story of the West Memphis Three.

Witherspoon, 35, has agreed to work on the movie, which will center around the story of three suspects; Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley. The three were convicted in 1993 for the “Satanic” killings of three eight-year-old Boy Scouts.

There was significant controversy surrounding their convictions, and a number of commentators have questioned the evidence presented to convict them in the near-two decades since.

In August their convictions were finally overturned after serving 18 years in prison. A number of celebrities had fought for their release, including Johnny Depp, Eddie Vedder of Perl Jam, and director Peter Jackson.

Depp had told CBS program “48 Hours Mystery”: “I firmly believe Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley are totally innocent. It was a need for swift justice to placate the community.”

Witherspoon is set to play Pam Hobbs; a mother of one of the eight-year-old victims.