For the last couple of years, actress Felicity Jones has seemed poised to break into the big time, and perhaps she’s closer to that by signing on to play the female lead in True Story. She joins Jonah Hill and James Franco who signed up to star last year. Brad Pitt will produce.

The movie is based on New York Times journalist Michael Finkel’s memoir, which is all about how a serial killer called Christian Longo stole the reporter’s identity. A day after Longo was caught in Mexico using Finkel’s name, the newspaper fired him. However, the journo was given a shot at redemption when Longo revealed that the only person he would talk to is Finkel.

Jonah Hill will play the journalist while James Franco is Longo. Felicity Jones will play Finkel’s girlfriend, who stands by her man throughout this ordeal.

Rupert Goold is set to directing from a screenplay by David Kajganich. (Source: Deadline)

They both got oscar nominations for Moneyball, and now Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill are reuniting once again for True Story, although this time Pitt will only produce, while Hill is set to star. James Franco is also attached to appear in the movie, which gets its title from the fact the plot sounds like it was made up.

Deadline reports that the project is based on the memoir by Michael Finkel, a New York Times Magazine journalist who learned in 2002 that his identity was used by Christian Longo, a fugitive on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted List who was wanted for killing his entire family. Finkel was fired by the magazine shortly after Christian Longo was captured in Mexico (for an unrelated matter), until the fugitive revealed that Michael Finkel was the only person he would talk to. Jonah Hill will play Finkel and James Franco is set to portray Longo.

Brad Pitt is producing True Story through his Plan B production, and won’t be acting opposite his Moneyball co-star in the project. Rupert Goold is directing. A screenwriter is not yet attached to adapt Michael Finkel’s book and there’s no director yet, so it’s early days.