Game of Thrones star Maisie Williams and The Good Doctor‘s Freddie Highmore are set to star in the comedy Sinner v. Saints from director Tim Kirkby (Fleabag, Veep, Netflix’s upcoming The Pentaverate).
Set in 1970s L.A. and London, the film is based on the extraordinary real-life scandal that made headlines worldwide, involving an eccentric MENSA beauty queen who goes to extreme lengths to stop the Mormon church from stealing her sexual obsession: a nebbish Mormon missionary.
WestEnd Films is launching international sales on Sinner v. Saints in Cannes.
Mark Williams (The Accountant, Ozark, Honest Thief) and Andriana Williams, head of Zero Gravity’s Inspire Division, are producing.
“It’s rare to find an over-the-top true story with compelling characters and zany twists and turns like this,” said Andriana Williams. “The all-consuming passion, absurd lawbreaking, and outrageous antics made news around the world then and can be sure to entertain today.”
Added Kirkby: “I’ve never read a more no holds barred fever dream of a script that whisks the reader on a journey of sex, obsession, and rock ‘n’ religion like Sinner v. Saints. Obsessive first love is a magnificent premise, and sprinkle on top a killer true story involving abduction, quirky supporting characters and the era of free love, and you have a cocktail of something very potent. It is a pleasure to roll around in the world of our anti-heroine Joyce McKinney.”
The script is written by Jill Hoppe and based on the book Joyce McKinney and the Case of the Manacled Mormon by Anthony Delano and the international news story. The film will begin shooting in the first quarter of 2023 in the U.S. and U.K. (THR)
