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'Lost' Actor Kevin Durand Getting Falsely Accused in 'Devil's Knot'

by Ben Pearson
June 27, 2012
Source: Variety

If you are familiar with the story of the West Memphis 3, chances are it's because of the Paradise Lost film series. The trilogy of documentaries put a spotlight on the trial of James Baldwin, Jessie Misskelley Jr. and Damien Echols, and the second film in that series implicated John Mark Byers, the father of one of the murdered boys, as a possible suspect in the heinous killings. Now Variety tells us that Kevin Durand, who starred in "Lost" and Real Steel, is set to portray Byers in Atom Egoyan's upcoming Devil's Knot, which will bring the story to an even wider audience with names like Reese Witherspoon and Colin Firth attached.

As of now, the story of the trial of James Baldwin, Jessie Misskelley Jr. and Damien Echols is best told in Amy Berg's documentary West of Memphis, which debuted at Sundance in January and is supposed to get a wide release later this year. But the Hollywood version of the story has locked down an excellent cast so far, including the recent additions of Amy Ryan and Chronicle star Dane DeHaan. Durand is another great pick to join this cast, especially considering he'll be able to rely on his history of playing creepy villains while he portrays someone who was once a suspect in these murders. Here's hoping Chloe director Atom Egoyan can do the story justice and bring more attention to the terrible events that befell these young men.

Filed under Casting, Movie News

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