Hollywood director Jim’s new film puts Bailey in the dock
Sophie murder drama will be in style of classic movie
BY
AWARD-WINNING director Jim Sheridan is making a film about the murder of Sophie Toscan du Plantier in the style of the legendary American movie 12 Angry Men.
The top film-maker said longtime suspect Ian Bailey, who died recently from a heart attack, will be in the dock and revealed some scenes have already been shot.
The film will focus on all the real-life evidence provided in the case so far and will concentrate on the interaction between the jurors.
12 Angry Men tells the story of a long and heated conflict between jurors in a murder trial.
Juror Number Eight casts doubt about the evidence and the other 11 eventually decide not to convict a boy accused of killing his father.
The 1957 movie, which starred Henry Fonda, is regarded as a Hollywood classic.
Sheridan has spent over eight years working on the unsolved murder of the French film-maker in West Cork in Christmas 1996 and made the smash hit Sky documentary series Murder At The Cottage which had record viewing figures across the globe.
Sheridan has not revealed who will play Bailey or Sophie.
But the top director confirmed last night the film has a working title called Recreation.
Some of the scenes have already been filmed in a specially made jury room studio in Luxembourg.
Juror Number Eight will be played by Vicky Krieps, a Luxembourgish/german actress who starred in Phantom Thread with Daniel Day-lewis and she will be advocating for Sophie.
Another main character, Juror Number Five, will be played by Irish Traveller actor John Connors.
Sheridan said: “One of the issues the film will explore is prejudice, especially against an English suspect in West Cork.”
He refused to say if Bailey will be found innocent or guilty, adding: “That would be giving the game away.”
Sheridan has long argued that Bailey was innocent and that there was never enough hard evidence to convict him of the murder.
The 66-year-old Englishman, who died on January 21, this year was arrested twice for killing Sophie but never charged.
Right up to his death Bailey proclaimed his innocence and was convinced the 39-year-old mother-ofone was murdered by a hired hitman or a secret lover.
Sheridan said: “This is something I have always wanted to do and it will make gripping
viewing.”
This is something I have always wanted to do and it will make gripping viewing