Ben Stiller and Colin Farrell star in the director’s true crime thriller From All of Us Strangers

Ben Stiller And Colin Farrell will star in Andrew Haigh’s upcoming film Belly of the Beastan adaptation of Jerome Loving’s book Jack and Normanwhich details the turbulent relationship between literary giant Norman Mailer and criminal Jack Henry Abbott, Deadline reports. Stiller will play Mailer while Farrell will play Abbott. The film was co-written by Alexis Jolly and is produced and developed by Village Roadshow Pictures (VRP).

Haigh most recently directed the critically acclaimed We are all strangersa quasi-supernatural story about love and healing from past traumas. Starring Andrew Scott, Paul Mescal and Claire Foy, Haigh adapted the screenplay from a novel by Taichi Yamada. We are all strangers premiered at the 50th annual Telluride Film Festival and went on to receive numerous BAFTA nominations, including awards for Haigh’s direction and screenplay, Mescal and Foy’s acting, and Outstanding Film of the Year.

Belly of the Beast will follow Mailer as he befriends Abbott in the late 1970s while he was in prison for bank robbery, forgery and murder. Mailer helped Abbot write his memoirs and eventually advocated for Abbot’s release from prison. According to deadline:

In the film, aided by Mailer’s mentorship, Abbott is paroled after nearly a decade in prison and finds instant popularity among the literary elite, but struggles with life on the outside. When Mailer, creatively frustrated and envious of Jack’s rising star, turns his back on his infamous apprentice, Jack finds himself reeling – just six weeks after his release, he commits an unforgivable act of violence in a New York diner.

While Mailer was celebrated for his novels, including The naked and the deadd, he is also a controversial figure in the literary world, he has been accused of homophobia and misogyny. Additionally, Mailer almost stabbed his second wife, and his fourth wife accused him of beating her.

Belly of the Beast will be a global event

Belly of the Beast was recently acquired by Lionsgate UK for release in the UK and Ireland. It was also picked up by various distributors for numerous foreign markets including Germany, Italy, Scandinavia, Taiwan, Japan and Greece, among others. Negotiations were handled by Paris-based outlet mk2 films. Belly of the Beast is also produced by Farrell and Claudine Farrell through their Chapel Place Company. In addition to VRP, Alison Rosenzweig and Michael Gaeta are also producing.

Marie-Claire Benson, EVP and Head of Motion Picture Group at Lionsgate UK, said:

Belly of the Beast
is a powerful true crime story that is both tense and disturbing. Under the masterful direction of Andrew Haigh, we can count on incredible performances from Ben Stiller and Colin Farrell, which we look forward to bringing to cinema audiences in the UK and Ireland.

Stiller will next be seen in David Gordon Green’s film nutcracker opposite Linda Cardellini, Tim Heidecker and The Righteous Gems Star Edi Patterson. Farrell is currently playing the lead role The penguinan HBO series set in the Matt Reeves film The Batman Universe. At this time, no further casting options have been announced, and the film has not yet received a release date.