Joseph Gordon-Levitt is set to star as cult leader Jim Jones in the adaptation of cult survivor Deborah Layton’s memoir Seductive Poison. Chloe Grace Moretz will play alongside him as Deborah Layton.
White Night is a psychological thriller about Jone’s infamous People’s Temple cult. In 1974, Jones built a large and devoted following out of San Fransico and established “Jonestown” in Guyana. It was there that on November 18th, 1978 that he commanded his followers to drink poison, killing more than 900 people. It was one of the largest mass-murder events on record.
Anne Sewitsky of A Very British Scandal directs the on-screen adaptation of the best-selling memoir. From the inspiration of Seductive Poison, William Wheeler of The Ghost in the Shell is writing the script.
FilmNation and Archer Gray are teaming up to produce the film, while FilmNation is handling the financing and worldwide sales. They intend to launch the project at Berlin’s European Film Market next week.
Moretz will play Layton, who is drawn into Jones’ inner circle. During her time in the cult, she became a leading member of the People’s Temple before finding the truth about Jones and setting out to expose him to the world.
Ashley Fox of FilmNation says of the film, “When we first read Bill Wheeler’s adaptation, it was seeing this infamous story from Deborah’s point of view that unlocked it psychologically and dramatically. Entering Jim Jones’ magnetic orbit through the eyes of an idealistic, passionate young woman reminded us that anyone can fall victim to extremism, given the right circumstances.”
White Night is set to begin filming in the Spring.
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