Court TV has begun production on its fourth original film, TheExonerated.
The film -- a cinematic adaptation of the award-winning off-Broadway play of the same name -- focuses on the stories of six innocent people who spent years on death row before being set free. It is set to air on the network next year.
Award-winning actor/director/producer and Chicagofilms founder Bob Balaban, who developed and directed the stage production, is serving as director and executive producer of the screen version.
The film features Academy Award-winning actor Susan Sarandon, Danny Glover, Brian Dennehy, Delroy Lindo and Aidan Quinn, and it introduces David Brown Jr.
Written by Jessica Blank and Eric Jensen and based on true stories, The Exonerated will use documentary material including interviews, letters, transcripts, case files and the public record to interweave the six stories.
“Court TV continues its commitment to air important, cause-related programming through our production of original movies and documentaries," chairman and CEO Henry Schleiff said in a prepared statement.
“The Exonerated exposes the potentially devastating anguish inflicted by the death penalty,” he added. “Since its opening, the play has been a catalyst for the re-evaluation of capital-punishment laws, and we expect the movie to further that momentum."
