United Artists, led by Scott Stuber, has acquired the rights to The Executioner’s Song, the 1982 film based on Norman Mailer’s Pulitzer Prize-winning 1979 novel. Oscar-nominated actor Jacob Elordi is attached to produce and star in the upcoming adaptation, taking on the role of convicted murderer Gary Gilmore.
The project marks a significant milestone for Elordi, as it will be his first time taking an active, hands-on role in the development of a film as a producer. Although he has previously received executive producer credits, this will be his first major producing involvement from the early stages of development.
Stuber and Nick Nesbitt will produce for United Artists, alongside Elordi, his manager Matt Vioral and producer Sherry Marsh. Lawrence Schiller, who directed the original 1982 television film and conducted the extensive interviews with Gilmore, his family and other key figures that helped shape Mailer’s book, will executive produce.
The Executioner’s Song tells the true story of Gary Gilmore, who was convicted of murdering two men in Utah and controversially insisted that his death sentence be carried out. Despite efforts by attorneys and the legal system to prevent his execution, Gilmore became the centre of a nationwide media storm.
His case made history when he became the first person executed in the United States following a four-year unofficial moratorium on capital punishment.
Mailer’s acclaimed work explores the complexities of American violence, the media’s fascination with crime, the death penalty and the profound loneliness surrounding Gilmore’s final days. Combining extensive research with a deeply human perspective, the story remains one of the most significant examinations of crime and capital punishment in American history.
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