Jurnee Smollett (Birds of Prey: Harley Quinn) has been cast as the female lead in a new courtroom drama from Amazon Studios titled The Burial. The Emmy-nominated actress is set to star opposite Jamie Foxx (Django Unchained) and Tommy Lee Jones (No Country for Old Men) in the film, which will be directed by Maggie Betts (Novitiate).
The film, which is based on a true story, tells the story of a bankrupt funeral homeowner who decides to sue a rival businessman over a handshake deal gone wrong. The owner hires a flamboyant attorney (Foxx) to handle the case. According to sources, Smollett will be playing Foxx’s opposing counsel in the film’s trial.
Betts is directing the film from a script written by Doug Wright (Quills). The script for The Burial is based on a New Yorker article by the same name by Jonathan Harr from 1999 that reported on the court case at the center of the story.
Smollett was last seen in the HBO fantasy-horror drama Lovecraft Country, where she received both critical claim and an Emmy nomination for Lead Actress in a Drama Series. She has also played supporting roles in other shows like Parenthood, True Blood, and Friday Night Lights. She is also currently set to play the DC Comics superhero Black Canary in a spin-off movie for HBO Max, after having first appeared as the character in 2020’s Birds of Prey: Harley Quinn.
Bobby Shriver is producing the film for the Bobby Shriver Inc. banner and Adam Richman and Jenette Kahn will be producing the film for Double Nickel Entertainment. Foxx will also be producing along with his partner Datari Turner, and with Trudie Styler and Celine Rattray for Maven Pictures.
No release or production start date has been announced yet for The Burial.