Jacob Elordi to Star in New The Executioner’s Song Adaptation

United Artists has acquired the rights to a new feature adaptation of Norman Mailer’s The Executioner’s Song and cast Jacob Elordi as Gary Gilmore. Elordi will also produce the film, according to reports of the project announcement.

The adaptation is based on Mailer’s 1979 book, which recounts the case of Gilmore, who was convicted of killing two men in Utah and insisted that his death sentence be carried out. The book follows the murders, trial and legal disputes surrounding his execution. Gilmore was executed in 1977.

Scott Stuber and Nick Nesbitt will produce for United Artists, alongside Elordi, his manager Matt Vioral and producer Sherry Marsh. Lawrence Schiller, who directed the 1982 screen adaptation, is attached as an executive producer on the new project. The earlier film starred Tommy Lee Jones as Gilmore.

The announcement did not identify a director or screenwriter for the new feature. A production timetable was also not reported, leaving the project’s creative leadership and schedule unannounced.

Mailer’s book drew on the real case and was published in 1979. Schiller, who worked on the earlier screen version, also conducted interviews with Gilmore, his family and other...