Michael B. Jordan has taken on some major titans over the years. Hell, last November, he beat the shit out of Ivan Drago’s son in Creed II. This fall, however, he’ll go up against Alabama’s racist judicial system in the historical drama Just Mercy.
Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, the film follows Harvard graduate lawyer Bryan Stevenson (Jordan), who heads to Alabama to defend the wrongly accused (see: Jamie Foxx). Along the way, he finds support from a local advocate (Brie Larson).
Watch the gripping first trailer below.
Here’s the official synopsis:
A powerful and thought-provoking true story, “Just Mercy” follows young lawyer Bryan Stevenson (Jordan) and his history-making battle for justice. After graduating from Harvard, Bryan had his pick of lucrative jobs. Instead, he heads to Alabama to defend those wrongly condemned or who were not afforded proper representation, with the support of local advocate Eva Ansley (Larson). One of his first, and most incendiary, cases is that of Walter McMillian (Foxx), who, in 1987, was sentenced to die for the notorious murder of an 18-year-old girl, despite a preponderance of evidence proving his innocence and the fact that the only testimony against him came from a criminal with a motive to lie. In the years that follow, Bryan becomes embroiled in a labyrinth of legal and political maneuverings and overt and unabashed racism as he fights for Walter, and others like him, with the odds—and the system—stacked against them.
Court adjourns on December 25th.
