According to Deadline, HBO has recently acquired the rights to John Grisham’s A Time For Mercy, the recently published sequel to his A Time to Kill novel, which both center around lawyer Jake Brigance. The network is reportedly developing a Time For Mercy limited series with Oscar winner Matthew McConaughey in the final talks to lead the project. The True Detective alum is set to reprise the role of Jake Brigance after nearly 25 years since first playing the character in Joel Schumacher’s 1996 film adaptation of A Time to Kill.
The project will reportedly consist of 8-10 episodes with Lorenzo di Bonaventura set to produce. The outlet’s sources note that the network is currently meeting with potential writers.
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Based on Grisham’s 1989 novel, Joel Schumacher’s A Time to Kill film is a courtroom crime drama set in Clanton, Mississippi which follows a fearless young lawyer as he defends a black man accused of murdering two white men who raped his ten-year-old daughter. The film, which is being credited as the project that launched McConaughey to A-list status, also starred Sandra Bullock and Samuel L. Jackson along with Kiefer and Donald Sutherland.
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Published in 2020, A Time For Mercy continues to follow Brigance as he finds himself embroiled in a deeply divisive trial when the court appoints him attorney for Drew Gamble, a timid sixteen-year-old boy accused of murdering a local deputy. Many in Clanton want a swift trial and the death penalty, but Brigance digs in and discovers that there is more to the story than meets the eye. Brigance’s fierce commitment to saving Drew from the gas chamber puts his career and the safety of his family on the line.
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This project marks the latest collaboration between HBO and McConaughey, who have worked together in Eastbound & Down and the acclaimed first season of True Detective which earned him Emmy and Golden Globe nominations. Should the A Time or Mercy miniseries move forward, this would be McConaughey’s first major TV project after six years since starring in True Detective.
