White Night, a new movie about Jim Jones, the notorious cult leader who orchestrated the infamous Jonestown massacre that saw the deaths of hundreds of his followers, is in development. Per The Hollywood Reporter, White Night will star Joseph Gordon-Levitt in the lead role as Jones with Chloë Grace Moretz co-starring as survivor Deborah Layton. Anne Sewitsky (A Very British Scandal) directs the psychological thriller. An adaptation of Layton’s best-selling memoir, Seductive Poison, White Night is also written by William Wheeler (The Ghost in the Shell). FilmNation Entertainment will produce with Archer Gray.
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“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,” said Archer Gray CEO Amy Nauiokas in a statement. “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 Ashley Fox 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.”
In the 1970s, Jim Jones established what he called “Jonestown” in Guyana, where he grouped together hundreds of followers. On Nov. 18, 1978, he ordered his followers to all band together in dying by suicide with a poisonous drink. Hundreds obliged, though many others who did not were murdered by Jones’ followers. All in all, more than 900 people died that day, making the event one of the largest mass murder-suicides in history.
Deborah Layton, who Moretz plays in White Night, is a survivor who was drawn into Jones’ inner circle and even became a leading member of the People’s Temple before uncovering the true nature of the cult leader’s plans, ultimately working against Jones to expose the truth to the world. Her testimony was vital in revealing many shocking details about the cult and she told her whole story in her autobiography.
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White Night is not the only project in active development that will feature Jim Jones in a central role. A separate biopic about the Jonestown massacre mastermind is also in the works, with Gordon-Levitt’s Inception co-star Leonardo DiCaprio on board to play the part. That movie, simply titled Jim Jones, is written by Scott Rosenberg (Venom) and is in development at MGM with no current release date set. The film was announced in November 2021.
White Night doesn’t have an official release date at this time, but the film will start shooting this spring. There’s no word yet on when Jim Jones will start filming or when it might be released.
