Yahoo Movies Inception's Joseph Gordon-Levitt lands lead role as cult leader Jim Jones
Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Inception) has been cast in the lead role of Jim Jones in a new psychological thriller based on the infamous Jonestown cult and massacre, White Night.
Directed by Anne Sewitsky (A Very British Scandal) and scripted by William Wheeler (The Ghost in the Shell), the film is a direct adaptation of Deborah Layton's memoir Seductive Poison. Chloë Grace Moretz (Mother/Android) will star opposite Gordon-Levitt as Layton.
The memoir documents the story of Layton's initial entry into Jones' cult and how she became a prominent member of the People's Temple. Soon Layton began to realise the horrifying truth behind the cult which eventually led to the mass murder-suicide of over 900 people at their base (Jonestown) in Guyana in 1978.
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The film reflects on her time as a member of the cult and her attempts to speak out against its existence later on.
Produced by FilmNation and Archer Gray, CEO Amy Nauiokas said: "Debbie Layton's Seductive Poison was the first book Anne Carey and I optioned at Archer Gray, and it formed the foundation of our mission to help give voice to the stories it was time to hear.
"Debbie's incredible journey with the People's Temple deserves an audience across generations. It should serve as a warning about the power a certain type of charismatic leader can have and the very real lessons to be learned from our history."
FilmNation president of production added: "When we first read Bill Wheeler's adaptation, it was seeing this infamous story from Deborah's point of view that unlocked it psychologically and dramatically.
"Entering Jim Jones' magnetic orbit through the eyes of an idealistic, passionate young woman reminded us that anyone can fall victim to extremism, given the right circumstances."
Filming on White Night will begin this spring.
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