A Modern Hero’s Real-Life Story Unfolds in “Just Mercy”
Michael B. Jordan (“Black Panther,” the “Creed” films) and Oscar winners Jamie Foxx (“Ray,” “Baby Driver,” “Django: Unchained”) and Brie Larson (“Room,” “Captain Marvel”) star in Warner Bros. Pictures’ “Just Mercy,” an inspiring drama that brings one of the most important stories of our time to the big screen.
(Watch the film’s newest trailer at http://bit.ly/JustMercyMainTrailerPH.)
Award-winning filmmaker Destin Daniel Cretton (“The Glass Castle,” “Short Term 12”) directed the film from a screenplay he co-wrote, based on Bryan Stevenson’s bestselling memoir.
“Just Mercy” is based on the powerful and thought-provoking true story of young lawyer Bryan Stevenson (Jordan) and his history-making battle for justice. After graduating from Harvard, Bryan had his pick of lucrative jobs. Instead, he heads to Alabama to defend those wrongly condemned or who were not afforded proper representation, with the support of local advocate Eva Ansley (Larson). One of his first, and most incendiary, cases is that of Walter McMillian (Foxx), who, in 1987, was sentenced to die for the notorious murder of an 18-year-old girl, despite a preponderance of evidence proving his innocence and the fact that the main testimony against him came from a criminal with a motive to lie. In the years that follow, Bryan becomes embroiled in a labyrinth of legal and political maneuverings, as well as overt and unabashed racism as he fights for Walter, and others like him, with the odds—and the system—stacked against them.
Michael B. Jordan, who portrays Bryan and is one of the film’s producers, says, “Throughout the course of the story, we see the ups and downs and trials and tribulations as Bryan fights to get Walter exonerated and freed from death row. You get to know Walter and see the humanity of the innocent man who’s been wrongly convicted, but you also see Bryan’s courage and passion, and understand why he has dedicated his life to this cause through his non-profit organization, the Equal Justice Initiative.”
The film’s director and co-screenwriter, Destin Daniel Cretton, adds, “The film’s story starts more than 30 years ago, but Bryan is still fighting the same fight every day. He’s in it for the long haul. And he is probably the most kind, empathetic person I’ve ever met—a combination of a genius mind and a heart that is so big—and he’s somehow able to combine those two to create a strategy that is really effective in helping the people who need it.
Jamie Foxx, who plays Walter McMillian, reflects, “There was a racial domino that was pushed a long time ago, and we’ve yet to put a stop to them falling. So a movie like this is needed because, hopefully, people will come—Black, white, Asian, Latino, whoever—and leave the theatre with a different mindset and say, ‘No, we don’t want to see that happen anymore.’”
“Movies have a remarkable way of uniting us with people who are different from us,” adds Brie Larson, who plays Bryan’s colleague Eva Ansley in the film. “So the idea that folks who maybe aren’t familiar with this issue, or who have a preconceived notion about the men and women on death row, could watch this film and have a new understanding of how our judicial system works, how it can fail us and how we can be of support is really important.”
To be shown exclusively at selected Ayala Malls Cinemas starting January 22, “Just Mercy” is distributed in the Philippines by Warner Bros. Pictures, a WarnerMedia Company. Connect with the hashtag #JustMercy
