Jamie Foxx is suiting up for his new dramedy, The Burial, based on the real-life story of a charismatic personal injury lawyer.
Based on the 1999 New Yorker article of the same name, The Burial tells the story of personal injury lawyer Willie E. Gary (Foxx) and his mission to help funeral home owner Jeremiah Joseph O’Keefe (Tommy Lee Jones) win a contract dispute against Loewen funeral company. Along the way, Gary and O’Keefe’s unlikely collaboration exposes corporate corruption and racial injustice rampant throughout major corporations.
The real Gary, who goes by the nickname “Giant Killer,” graduated from Shaw University, a private Baptist historically black university in Raleigh, North Carolina. He’s been named one of the “100 Most Influential Black Americans” by Ebony Magainze and one of the “Top 50 Attorneys in the U.S.” by Forbes Magazine. He’s also been listed as one of the richest lawyers in America, proven by his two jets, named “Wings of Justice I” and “Wings of Justice II.”
Beyond his lavish expenditures, Gary is also involved charity and civic work, providing resources to underprivileged youth through The Gary Foundation and donating millions to HBCUs across the U.S.
“The real Willie Gary has a huge, larger-than-life personality, and I knew Jamie had the talent, charisma and range to bring this complex and multi-faceted persona to the screen,” said Burial director Maggie Betts. “He was a perfect match for the role, and he brought so much more humanity and vulnerability to the character than I could have ever expected which, as a director, was very exciting to work with.”
In addition to Foxx, who serves as a producer, The Burial stars Tommy Lee Jones, Jurnee Smollett, Alan Ruck, Pamela Reed and Bill Camp.
The Burial will premiere in select theaters October 6 before dropping on Amazon Prime Video on October 13.
