Joseph Gordon-Levitt will play cult leader Jim Jones in “White Night,” a psychological thriller, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Jones was the leader of the infamous People’s Temple cult that established “Jonestown” in Guyana. On Nov. 18, 1978, Jones commanded his followers to drink poison and more than 900 people died in one of the largest mass murder-suicides in history, according to Brittanica.
Chloë Grace Moretz will play Deborah Layton, who was a member of Jones’ inner circle but escaped the People’s Temple cult in 1978, according to Entertainment Weekly.
FilmNation Entertainment will finance “White Night” and produce it with Archer Gray, according to Variety. It will be directed by Anne Sewitsky and is based on Layton’s best-selling memoir, the website reported.
William Wheeler wrote the script and FilmNation Entertainment will finance the film, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
“Debbie Layton’s ‘Seductive Poison’ was the first book Anne Carey and I optioned at Archer Gray, and it formed the foundation of our mission to help give voice to the stories it was time to hear,” Archer Gray CEO Amy Nauiokas said in a statement. “Debbie’s incredible journey with the People’s Temple deserves an audience across generations. It should serve as a warning about the power a certain type of charismatic leader can have and the very real lessons to be learned from our history.”
Gordon-Levitt, 40, is going to star as Uber founder Travis Kalanick in the Showtime series “Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber” and will be featured as the voice of Jiminy Cricket in Robert Zemeckis’s live-action adaptation of “Pinocchio,” Variety reported. He has also had roles in “500 Days of Summer,” “Inception,” “The Dark Knight Rises” and “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” according to the website.
Moretz, 24, most recently starred in the science-fiction thriller “Mother/Android,” which debuted on Hulu in December, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Filming for “White Night” is scheduled to begin in the spring, the website reported.
Here are some memorable photos of actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt through the years.
1996: John Lithgow, Jane Curtin, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Kristen Johnston and French Stewart in the hit series "Third Rock From the Sun."
1999: French Stewart, Kristen Johnston, John Lithgow, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt star in the TV series "Third Rock From the Sun."
2002: Actors Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Austin Majors at the film premiere of "Treasure Planet" at The Cinerama Dome on November 17, 2002, in Hollywood, California.
2004: Actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt attends the "Mysterious Skin" Photocall at the 61st Venice Film Festival on September 3, 2004, in Venice, Italy.
2005: Actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt poses at the photocall for Brick at the 31st Deauville Festival of American Film on September 6, 2005, in Deauville, France.
2006: Actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt arrives at the Los Angeles premiere of Shadowboxer held at Arclight Cinemas on July 19, 2006, in Hollywood, California.
2007: Actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt arrives at the premiere of Miramax’s "The Lookout" at the Egyptian Theater on March 20, 2007, in Los Angeles.
2008: Director Spike Lee and actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt watch the game between the New York Knicks and the Toronto Raptors on January 11, 2008, at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
2009: Actress Zooey Deschanel and actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt of the film "500 Days of Summer" poses for a portrait at the Film Lounge Media Center during the 2009 Sundance Film Festival on January 18, 2009, in Park City, Utah.
2010: Actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt arrives at the 67th annual Golden Globe Awards held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on January 17, 2010, in Beverly Hills, California.
2011: Actors Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Gary Oldman and Anne Hathaway accept an award onstage during Spike TV’s SCREAM 2011 awards held at Universal Studios on October 15, 2011, in Universal City, California.
2012: Actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt and honoree Marion Cotillard pose with the Hollywood Actress Award backstage at the 16th annual Hollywood Film Awards Gala presented by The Los Angeles Times held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on October 22, 2012, in Beverly Hills, California.
2013: Tony Danza, Scarlett Johansson, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Julianne Moore attend "Don Jon" New York Premiere at SVA Theater on September 12, 2013, in New York City.
2014: Actors Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Emma Watson speak onstage during the Oscars at the Dolby Theatre on March 2, 2014, in Hollywood, California.
2015: Charlotte Le Bon and Joseph Gordon-Levitt attend the Opening Night Gala Presentation and "The Walk" World Premiere during the 53rd New York Film Festival at Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center on September 26, 2015, in New York City.
2016: Actress Shailene Woodley, director Oliver Stone and actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt attend the red carpet of "Snowden" premiere during the 64th San Sebastian International Film Festival at Kursaal Palace on September 22, 2016, in San Sebastian, Spain.
2017: Actors Channing Tatum and Joseph Gordon Levitt attend the premiere of Amazon’s "Comrade Detective" at ArcLight Hollywood on August 3, 2017, in Hollywood, California.
2018: Joseph Gordon-Levitt attends the Comedy Central Roast of Bruce Willis at Hollywood Palladium on July 14, 2018, in Los Angeles.
2019: Joseph Gordon-Levitt speaks onstage during the Band Together With Logic 2019 SXSW Conference and Festivals at Paramount Theatre on March 15, 2019, in Austin, Texas.
2021: Kristen Johnston, John Lithgow, French Stewart and Joseph Gordon-Levitt attend the Pluto TV Green Room during Vulture Festival 2021 at The Hollywood Roosevelt on November 14, 2021, in Los Angeles.
