The truth is always stranger than fiction. And sometimes it can make for a great story. As is the case with True Story, based on the memoir written by Michael Finkel. A writer for the New York Times until he was fired for the inaccuracy of one of his pieces in 2001 (not unlike the articles of Jayson Blair or Stephen Glass, the latter of which was the subject of the 2003 film Shattered Glass).
However, Finkel’s firing had a silver lining of a second chance, only it came at the expense of a man named Christian Longo who used the name “Michael Finkel” as an alias during his days of a fugitive in the wake of the murders of Longo’s wife and children.
See, I told you the truth was stranger than fiction.
Now Finkel’s memoir True Story has been made into a feature film from first-timer Rupert Goold. Academy Award nominees Jonah Hill (Moneyball, The Wolf of Wall Street) and James Franco (127 Hours) star as Finkel and Longo.
Watch the first trailer below.