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EXCLUSIVE: Johnny Depp and his producing partner Christi Dembrowski and their Infinitum Nihil production shingle have yet another interesting project in development. They’ve optioned film rights to the soon-to-be-published and as-yet-untitled book by Damien Echols which reveals his experiences on death row after his wrongful conviction and subsequent wrongful 18-year imprisonment for the 1993 murder of three 8-year-old boys in West Memphis, Arkansas. The memoir will be published in September 2012 by Blue Rider Press, an imprint of Penguin Books. The injustice of the West Memphis Three story drew badly needed support from the entertainment community’s Peter Jackson, Eddie Vedder, Natalie Maines, Henry Rollins, and of course Depp. The actor and his producing partner have long been wanting and waiting to explore this story and will develop the narrative as a feature film with Echols and his wife Lorri Davis, who will be executive producers. Their collective take is to spotlight the controversial conviction and imprisonment of the then 18-year-old who’s now in his mid-30s and to present his life before conviction as well its twists and turns leading to release.
For those unfamiliar with the case, teenagers Echols, Jessie Misskelley Jr, and Jason Baldwin were arrested and convicted in 1994 for the murder of three young Cub Scouts who were the victims of a supposed satanic ritual. Despite faulty DNA evidence presented by prosecutors, Echols was condemned to death and Misskelley Jr and Baldwin sentenced to life in prison. The convictions drew national attention due to the brutality of the crimes, the lack of evidence, and the defendants’ insistence that they were innocent. A documentary film produced in 1996, Paradise Lost, helped to shed light on the wrongful convictions, and an investigation provided critical information that finally helped the West Memphis Three achieve freedom in August 2011. That formed the basis of director Amy Berg’s upcoming 2012 feature documentary West of Memphis produced by filmmaker Jackson & Fran Walsh. Now Depp is cinematically involved with this option deal negotiated by UTA on behalf of Infinitum Nihil, and by Henry Dunow at Dunow, Carlson & Lerner Agency and Sylvie Rabineau at RWSG Literary on behalf of the author.
Infinitum Nihil continues to be one of the busiest and biggest banners by any actor. Formed in 2004, it has a first-look deal with Graham King’s GK Films and the two companies produced the Oscar-nominated Hugo directed by Martin Scorsese, as well as The Rum Diary starring Depp and written and directed by Bruce Robinson. Additionally, Infinitum Nihil and GK Films are in post-production on Dark Shadows, with Depp both starring and producing with Tim Burton who is also directing. Infinitum Nihil and GK Films also have a number of projects in development for Warner Bros, including Shantaram based on the book by Gregory David Roberts and adapted by Eric Roth; Attica being adapted by Linda Woolverton with Sam Fell attached to direct; Gordon Dahlquist’s The Glass Books Of The Dream Eaters; and Tom Robbins’ classic Fierce Invalids Home From Hot Climate, adapted by Eric Aronson. Infinitum Nihil on its own is also currently developing The Thin Man for Warner Bros with Rob Marshall attached to direct, as well as the graphic novel Rex Mundi. Also recently announced are two projects for Disney: The Night Stalker and Paul Revere. Additionall, Infinitum Nihil’s project list includes Nick Tosches’ book In The Hand Of Dante and journalist-author James Meek’s The People’s Act Of Love.
Editor-in-Chief Nikki Finke - tip her here.
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GOOD.
A serious miscarriage of justice in this generation. This will make an amazing movie. It should look like ‘River’s Edge’.
Is anybody going to arrest the real killer, you know who?
How many people can walk free on a bid looking as cool as THIS dude?
Serious miscarriage of justice is right. It goes to show you that our legal system will eventually give way if you pile up enough cash on it. I wonder if the movie will have all the gory details of Echols’ therapy sessions that are in his medical records, like all the blood drinking, homicidal fantasies, and conversations with demons. I doubt it. He will probably be portrayed as a misunderstood pseudo-genius like Depp fancies himself.
This looks like it will be a brilliant projest. Unlike the PL3 documentaries or West of Memphis (which in their own rights were spectacular), this will be done from the “ringleader of the WM3. Johnny Depps vision along with Damien and Lorri Echols imput, im excited for this project. What could put this over the top would be to see Johnny play Damien in the older years of Damiens life and i could really see Sandra Bullock playing Lorri. Kudos to Mr. Depp for spinning a whole new way to view the case for us diehard supporters who have followed this case for so long, that this project would really validate peoples views on this whole travesty of justice.
Another insult to the real victims: Stevie Branch, Michael Moore and Chris Byers. You’ll notice THEIR names are never mentioned in the above article. That’s because the killers have become the main attraction in the center ring of this circus. The actual case archives (transcripts, polygraph results, autopsy reports and multiple confessions) can be found at: callahan8k.com There you’ll find a very different view from the Paradise Lost Series of docudramas.
To buy this book of Damien’s or to see another “fairytail” movie about this case and the supposed innocence of these three murderers only adds to the injustice already done to the victims and their families. Consider sending your money to SAVE THE CHILDREN or another child-centered charity instead.
That is becasue as the name of the article indicates, this is an article about Johnny Depp and Infinitum Nihil producing Damien Echols’ memoir. I missed the part in the article where they ask for your money. The real injustice is having the real killer(s) remain free. But you are entitled to your emotional opinion.
Oh & btw, I own that book you’re talking about. Or at least the one already written by Damien Echols and I am proud of that. Can’t wait to read his new book or books and watch whatever he’s involved in and I’ll support them in any way.
I have read the Callahan documents and still don’t feel they are guilty.
So so sick of the bandwagon-hoping when it comes to this story. Yes, it’s a tragedy, but guess what – they aren’t the only victims of our fucked up justice system or society in general. Let’s the spread and love and awareness.
A serious question – why is Hollywood so obsessed with this story?
So we’ll have “Devil’s Knot” dramatizing the events from the outside, and this film showing it from the inside. That’ll be interesting, if both films get made.
Many people believe the WM3 were not innocent but guilty as charged and that they were the ones that committed the crime. They were found guilty by a unanimous jury the first time. They plead guilty instead of waiting for a trial the second time.
Will they tell the truth about Echols’ history?
Echols had a history of psychiatric treatment and psychotic behavior. His reported actions included brutally killing a dog, starting fires at his school, threatening to kill his teachers and parents and stating he liked to drink blood.
Echols’ stated under cross-examination that he was interested in the occult. A funeral register found in his room with hand-drawn pentagrams and upside-down crosses. Echols’ journal contained morbid images and references to dead children.
There is also a police report about Damien Echols stomping and killing a dog.
Information on Echols’ psychiatric records in Exhibit 500, presented to the court. This is available at callahan 8k and summarized at wm3truth(dot)com
That this psychopath Damien Echols only had to serve 16 years in prison for the murdering and butchering of 3 yound boys is the biggest injustice of all. Too bad Ted Bundy wasn’t able to con Johnny Depp and other guilt ridden Hollywood lefties to take up his case. This murder case had Echol’s fingerprints all over it including the methodoloy used in the murders. Like any true Sociopath, Echols was able to con the right people and to get their sympathy. That this freak should now profit from a book puts him in a worse class than the ever innocent O.J. Simpson.
I’ve read the script for DEVIL’S KNOT, and yes it includes Echols psychotic behavior. That doesn’t make him a killer.
try reading beyond the slanted “Devil’s Knot” and try thinking beyond what a bunch of celebrities want you to think. read up on the real case at callahan8k.com or wm3truth.com
Damien, Jessie, and Jason are guilty of murdering those children and no number of movies, books or documentaries will change that fact. They have confessed, been found guilty and have pled guilty. Case Closed.
You know nothing about this case. Case closed, NOPE! Read and learn about the Alford Plea and why they had to take it. I would have too. I would never trust them with my life again and they promised them this trial would be drawn out for years and if the wrong thing, since, Arkansas has been known to do the wrong thing to save their asses, could have been done again. They maintained their innocence. The state would have had Damien killed before letting a jury say he was innocent. our legal system is a joke, get clue. Are u that gullible. Alford Plea, they did not say I a guilty! They said although I am Innocent of these charges I will take a guilty plea today because its in my best interest. So that Damien didn’t get murdered in prison and have to fight many more years on trial. Did u see where Damien lived? You wouldn’t last a day in there.
But Jessie confessed 4 different times and once after his conviction. I’m not saying that they are definitely guilty, I wasnt there, just like you cant be sure of their innocence. But why cant the supporters of the West Memphis 3 be accurate and honest about the case and why does hollywood keep putting out all these misconceptions? Also, why would you say that someone wouldnt last a day in damiens living conditions…is he like a Rambo type figure to you? I’m sure who ever had to live in those conditions would adapt to whatever they had to. BTW there are lots of people in this world who have lived in much, much more horrible conditions than that and many are not even in jail. Please put on your thinking cap and try to keep your emotions under control
Thank you!!!! I swear I get so sick of hearing this bullshit about Damien’s psych. records. Does that mean that if you see a psychiatrist of therapist or are put on an anitidepressant or whatever else these quacks wanna put you on. Money making business. Does not mean u are a killer. There are a lot of people out there with diagnosis. Oh Gosh, watch out he was seeing a therapist and was on antidepressant that probably wasn’t even necessary. They diagnose everyone and prescribe something to everyone who walks in their office. Fuck this theory of he was see a psychiatrist and proves he was mentally unstable and anyone diagnosed with a mental disorder, Bipolor was one and Major Depressive Disorder and the damn mad made drug makes it worse. I take that shit personally because I was diagnosed once as having major depression. Lol everyone is diagnosed and puton something. A billion dollar industry biggest joke and money racket around. and i get so pissed when i think about them putting his mental health records out there for everyone to see when he thought he was talking confinetially with a therapist. That is so wrong.
You obviuosly have never read exhibit 500 that the defense team was forced to submit after the conviction to save him from death row. No one is saying that if you see a psychiatrist and take anti-depressents that that makes you a killer. It is information from when damien was in psych wards, detention centers and visits to psychiatrists and what he said to them and their evaluation (this was before the killings). It goes so far beyond “just seeing a psychiatrist and getting on meds” it’s incredible. Why not read it then make comments so you will at least know what your talking about. Hears a link for you to read or you can just google search the exhibit 500: http://wm3truth(dot)com/damien-echols-profile/
Damien Echols may not be the killer of these boys but he is also no Boy Scout or celebrity!!!!! His heartless action since his release that people don’t know about makes me ill to the pit of my stomach. Eddie Veddor, Natalie Maines, Johnny Depp, and the rest who have jumped on the wagon to sensationalize him. You should really get the full picture of the man and not the simple notion of his innocence. I cannot and will not ever support with one cent of my hard earned money to buy anything telling HIS story. This is really about the three 8 year olds who were murdered and the THREE men who were wrongfully convicted. This is not the Godless, heartless, soulless, DAMIEN ECHOLS STORY!I support his innocence, however I do not support him as a person!
This is the truest statement I’ve read on this case, ever. Could not have put it better
What “heartless action”? I dont doubt that Damien has a dark side, have been a supporter of all three’s innocence for 15 yrs, and am still supporting and campaigning for their full exoneration and more importantly for the full investigation of who did murder Christopher, Stevie and Micheal but it looks like i have missed something since their release? Please be a gem and tell me what he has been up to?
The idea of a film about just Damien infuriates me, okay he was the one in solitary facing lethal injection, but he wasnt the only one who was locked up for something they didnt do, I dont like the way he has to have the spotlight, what about the 3 little boys this is all really about? What about Jessie and Jason? What about the families of everyone involved.
I have read a lot of the transcripts on the calahan site. While you claim they support the “truth” it also shows the unreliable eyewitnesses, the mistakes made by the police, Judge Burnett’s disallowing of testimony that could’ve helped the defense while allowing an “expert” on the occult to testify. While I respect your wishes to find the truth, if in fact the West Memphis Three are innocent (which I believe they are) wouldn’t you welcome any chance that these movies would help to find out what really happened?
But you see Kelly, these movies aren’t going to tell the truth! They’re only gonna shovel out more slanted bullshit like the Paradise Lost documentaries! Regardless of what goes down in these films, the fact is the WM3 plead guilty to the murders of Stevie, Christopher and Michael. They will FOREVER be known as slimy, disgusting piles of murderous trailer park trash! And OF COURSE Hollywood is all agog over these scumbags! Any community that loves a good old pedophile like Roman Polanski is gonna love them some child murderers! What a twisted world we live in!
Testimony by Jason Lance Crosby stating that heard Damien Echols talking about wanting to catch a bum with Jason Baldwin at one of the overpasses and torturing him to death just to see what it felt like.
c a l l a h a n . 8 k . c o m / i m a g e s / j _ c r o s b y/ report_06-08-93_01 . j p g
Echols was seen in muddy clothes near the crime scene. He bragged about the murder to two other teenagers, stating he killed the three boys. Echols is reported to have either told or bragged about the crime to four people before he was arrested.
When I was in high school, I enjoyed freaking people out. I fancied myself an evil person, capable of grotesque things. But I never actually did anything. Truth be told, I never would have. And today I am a well-rounded, productive member of society. High School was boring, and that’s how I entertained myself. I think this is the same situation. Damien went through a phase – like a lot of teenagers. He lived in a small town in the bible belt. He didn’t identify with what was “normal” for that town. So, he rebelled – like a lot of teenagers. He strived to be everything the town hated. You may have to step away from your own version of “normal” to understand this stance, but it’s very clear to me. Nothing he did, even the brutal killing of a dog (disturbing as it may be,) proves he murdered Stevie Branch, Michael Moore and Chris Byers. And even less effort was put into proving Misskelly or Baldwin had anything to do with it.
PS: The stance of celebrities NEVER influences my beliefs or decisions in any way. But, since it was brought up, what motivation would any of them (or anyone else, for that matter) have to come forward in defense of these guys other than simply not wanting to stand by while people are convicted based on small-town bias and hearsay?
WM3 are innocent
Of course they are! They’re so innocent they plead guilty to the murders! Ain’t that something?
You got it correct, Scott. They are “guilty” of murder under the law. They have a 1st degree murder felony on their records and that ain’t gunna change. Keep workin’ it wm3 for every dime you can get off of the gullible ’cause soon you’ll be forgotten and life’s hard when you gotta work for what you’ve got.
Advice to supporters: “If people invite you to a party and then laugh, don’t go.”
These movies are one sided and leave out evidence showing the guilt of the three. Interesting this movie is going to leave out the first 18 years of Echols’ life.
Four of the parents believe the three are guilty.
Letter to AMPAS from victims’ parents
Re: Paradise Lost III: Purgatory
While we were grieving for our children, the HBO film crew assured us that they only chronicled the events as they unfolded, and that they believed the defendants to be guilty. They earned our trust, and then they violated it. Director Joe Berlinger aptly referred to himself as a “storyteller first, a journalist second…” an accurate description given the fable he has conjured. Berlinger decided within “five minutes” of meeting Damien Echols that he was innocent and immediately set out upon a mission to prove it, truth and facts be damned. The fabricated innocence of the defendants made for a better “documentary” than the truth that these three teenagers killed our children for nothing more than a sick thrill.
Look at the case before you think they were wrongly convicted. Damien himself taking the stand killed his case. Alibis were shot down and found to false.I went through the whole case and didnt even include any of the black magic stuff. I found them to be guilty as charged. Imagine if they saw Damiens medical records. All tho I did think it was 2nd degree murder. No motive and couldnt prove that they were conscious to be a cruel act. But they are guilty and free.
I like your post. I also totally threw out the black magic garbage and occult stuff, kids just do dopey stuff. I used to think like a lot of people who saw paradise lost and 48hrs that they got railroaded then I got a little suspicious watching damien’s body language and of course the nutty celebrities. I read all the evidence on the case and I’m blown away by the inaccuracies by the supporters and the movies. I’m not saying they are definitely guilty, i wasnt there, but how can people be so gullible and say they are definitely innocent when there is quite a bit of evidence stating otherwise that they either dont bring up, dont seem to know about, or just flat out lie…mindboggling
Have you really been through all transcripts? Because if you have and your opinion is still that they are innocent you have problems. Please read them and learn the truth!
All this talk and no one seems to care who the real killers are – and people still INSIST with NO EVIDENCE that Echolls killed these kids.
THe way they were killed and the way the Memphis Three were wrongly convicted and a corrupt justice system didn’t want to know.
Why?
Who were these judges and officers who falsified evidence and outright lied – covering for? Somebody with money and power, is my strong feeling. The boys were murdered somewhere else and dumped close to Echolls etc. This was a set up from the beginning.
Why is no one trying to find out? Because there too busy arguing wwith morons(and clearly professional disinfo agents)about the guilt and non-guilt of 3 wongly convicted boys. Why has no one even mentioned this possiblity? Not because it’s not plausible. ‘Cause it is…too possible…
Wake up…