'Under The Banner Of Heaven' Will Send Andrew Garfield On A Mormon Murder Mystery On FX
FX on Hulu is making a TV adaptation of John Krakauer's nonfiction crime novel Under the Banner of Heaven, and Andrew Garfield (The Amazing Spider-Man) and Daisy Edgar-Jones (Normal People) are on board.
Deadline is reporting that FX on Hulu has picked up the limited series. The adaptation is helmed by Dustin Lance Black (Milk) and will be directed by David Mackenzie of Hell or High Water fame.
The series adapts the book's investigation of the murder of a young Mormon (Edgar-Jones) and the devout detective who is on the case. Garfield will play Pyre, a leader in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), also known as Mormons. Over the course of the series, Pyre begins to question his religion after having contact with the suspected fundamentalist murderer.
Here is the synopsis of Kraukauer's 2013 book, in which the writer investigated and juxtaposed the two real histories of the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and a modern double murder committed in the name of God by brothers Ron and Dan Lafferty (via GoodReads):
At the core of his book is an appalling double murder committed by two Mormon Fundamentalist brothers, Ron and Dan Lafferty, who insist they received a revelation from God commanding them to kill their blameless victims. Beginning with a meticulously researched account of this "divinely inspired" crime, Krakauer constructs a multilayered, bone-chilling narrative of messianic delusion, savage violence, polygamy, and unyielding faith. Along the way, he uncovers a shadowy offshoot of America's fastest-growing religion, and raises provocative questions about the nature of religious belief.
A Long Road to the Screen
This isn't the first attempt to adapt Under the Banner of Heaven. Lance Black and Ron Howard tried to turn the book into a movie 10 years ago at Warner Bros. That attempt failed, though Howard is still attached as an executive producer.
"After so many years of work, I'm incredibly grateful to Imagine and FX for their patience with and commitment to bringing this story to screen," Lance Black told Deadline. "Raised in the LDS faith, my hope is that this true-crime thriller might shed light on the horrific brutalities perpetrated in the name of God in our own backyards."
"Dustin Lance Black is a gifted storyteller and the perfect artist to adapt Jon Krakauer's gripping novel for FX," Gina Balian, President, Original Programming, FX added in a statement. "Lance joins an incredible creative team led by Brian Grazer and Ron Howard at Imagine Television who have been passionate about telling this story with him for years. We are thrilled that David Mackenzie has come aboard as a director and to have Andrew Garfield and Daisy Edgar-Jones star in Under the Banner of Heaven."
No news yet on when the series will make its way to FX on Hulu.