In this world of remakes, reboots, sequels, prequels, and any other way for studios to create franchises out of seemingly nothing, we have yet another surprise project that takes a dusty IP off the shelf and gets it back into working order. This time, it’s Matthew McConaughey returning to the world of John Grisham in a sequel to “A Time to Kill.”
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According to Variety, McConaughey is set to reprise his role as attorney Jake Brigance in a new HBO limited series, “A Time for Mercy.” McConaughey previously played Brigance in the aforementioned ‘90s courtroom drama, “A Time to Kill,” which saw the attorney defending a Black man (Samuel L. Jackson) who was on trial for killing two white men who raped and murdered his daughter. Much like that film, “A Time for Mercy” sees Brigance taking the side of a killer, this time a young guy that is accused of killing a deputy sheriff that abused his mom and his sister.
While it may be shocking to see McConaughey return to the role after decades away, “A Time to Kill” is a film that kinda helped put the actor on the map, with a breakout role in a drama that arrived during a time when John Grisham-based films were all the rage. Plus, we know that McConaughey has been trying to get back into the realm of TV after his award-winning role in “True Detective.” He previously was attached to a recent FX project that had him reteaming with the creator of “True Detective,” Nic Pizzolatto. However, that project isn’t moving forward at this time.
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Now, McConaughey is heading back to HBO and a familiar character. The report claims that the studio is on the hunt for a writer to help script the series, so it’s clear “A Time for Mercy” is still in the very early stages of development. Basically, don’t expect this to come before the end of the year.
Here’s the trailer for “A Time to Kill”:
