Cary Fukunaga to Direct Heartbreaking True Story of Joe and Jadin Bell

Cary Fukunaga is very busy these days — after establishing himself with Sin Nombre and Jane Eyre, he went on to cement his career as one of the most exciting directors to watch with the first season of True Detective. His next film, Beasts of No Nation, is arriving on Netflix soon, and he’s heading into production on a two-film adaptation of Stephen King’s It, which should occupy much of his time. And yet, he’s just signed on to direct another film: the tragic true life story of father and son, Joe and Jadin Bell.

Per Variety, Fukunaga is teaming up with A24 for the untitled drama, from writing partners Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana (Brokeback Mountain). The film centers on Jadin Bell, an openly gay 15-year-old Oregonian who suffered relentless, merciless bullying from his peers at school, leading him to commit suicide his sophomore year. His father, Joe Bell, subsequently embarked on a walk across the United States to cope with the grief of his tremendous loss, and to spread awareness about bullying and its terrible effects.

This is the first original film from A24, a company that has quickly established itself as one of the most exciting distributors, with films like Under the Skin, Enemy, Obvious Child and the recent Ex Machina.

Fukunaga will begin production on It this summer, and is also attached to produce and direct The Alienist miniseries, based on the Caleb Carr novel. His new film, Beasts of No Nation, stars Idris Elba and was recently acquired by Netflix for distribution, and marks the company’s first film acquisition that could be a potential awards season contender.