British director Joshua Newton has reportedly been working on a “satirical thriller” about the OJ Simpson murder case since 2015, but the film has been stuck in development hell, in part because they struggled to find an actor. main to direct the film.
According The Hollywood ReporterActor Owen Wilson was in the running to play Douglas McCann, a real-life lawyer who believed several conspiracy theories about Simpson’s innocence during the trial.
“Owen Wilson was perfect for the role,” Newton said. THR. “I actually had a meeting with him in Santa Monica. Everyone loved the script. His agent wanted him to do it. “We offered him 12 million dollars.”
Wilson outright turned down the role due to the film’s premise, which questioned whether Simpson was innocent of the murder of Nicole Brown Simpson.
“At the end of lunch, Owen stood up and said, ‘If you think I’m going to take the lead role in a movie about how OJ didn’t do it, you’ve got to be kidding.'” Newton said, according to THR.
However, the film is still set to move forward, with or without Wilson. Newton says they cast another “perfect” actor to play McCann.
Noble The juiceThe film will also star actress Charlotte Kirk as Nicole and Boris Kodjoe as OJ.
OJ died on April 11 after a private battle with prostate cancer. He was reportedly living in hospice care for months before the end of his life.
The former Buffalo Bills quarterback had an impressive football career that he later parlayed into acting, making him an important public figure. However, her reputation was tarnished when he was accused of murdering her wife and her friend, Ron Goldman, in 1994.
He was eventually acquitted of the murders, but was later found guilty of wrongful death in a civil trial and ordered to pay $33.5 million in damages to Nicole and Goldman’s families.
Newman’s film is just one of several dramatizations and documentaries that have been made of the Trial of the Century.
The director says the first 30 minutes of the film are already finished, but he plans to have it finished by October 3, which marks the 29th anniversary of Simpson’s declaration of innocence.
