Roadside Attractions has debuted the first trailer for the upcoming biographical drama Trial by Fire starring Jack O’Connell (Unbroken) and Laura Dern (Big Little Lies) based on the true story of the controversial Texas arson trial of Cameron Todd Willingham, which can be viewed in the player below!
RELATED: Chloe Grace Moretz and Jack O’Connell to Star as Bonnie and Clyde
The film, written by Geoffrey S. Fletcher (Precious) based on the New Yorker article of the same name by David Grann, tells tragic and controversial story of Cameron Todd Willingham, who was executed in Texas for killing his three children after scientific evidence and expert testimony that bolstered his claims of innocence were suppressed. While awaiting his execution on death row, Willingham begins receiving frequent visits from Elizabeth Gilbert, a Houstonian mother of two who takes notice of his case and begins unraveling the flaws from his trial, desperately fighting to save his life, but ultimately failing.
O’Connell, most-known for his breakout performance in the Angelina Jolie-helmed war biopic Unbroken, stars as the ultimately doomed Willingham and Dern, who won a Golden Globe and Emmy for her performance in the acclaimed HBO drama Big Little Lies, stars as Gilbert.
RELATED: Roadside Attractions Acquires Tim Tebow’s Run the Race Drama
Trial by Fire will also star Emily Meade (The Deuce), Jeff Perry (Scandal) and Jade Pettyjohn (School of Rock) and is directed by Golden Globe-nominated Edward Zwick, well-known for his work directing the acclaimed period war dramas Glory, The Last Samurai and Defiance, as well as the contemporary war thriller Blood Diamond.
The drama marks the third film in the past few years based on a David Grann essay, compiled in The Devil and Sherlock Holmes, the first of which came with the 2016 Jim Carrey-starring detective mystery Dark Crimes, which debuted to incredibly negative reviews, and last year’s crime caper The Old Man & The Gun starring Robert Redford in his final acting performance before his retirement, which earned acclaim from critics and was nominated for a Golden Globe for Redford’s performance.
The film, which premiered at the Telluride Film Festival last August, is set to hit theaters on May 17.
