The movie star Jennifer Lawrence will produce and star in ‘Burial Rites’, Variety reports. The film is based on Hannah Kent’s 2013 novel, which bears the same name. It tells the story of Agnes Magnúsdóttir, the last woman to be executed in Iceland. Jennifer will perform the role of Agnes in the true-crime drama.
Agnes’ execution took place in 1830, and the movie will take place as she awaits the confirmation of her death sentence. The movie script tells the tale of Agnes forming new emotional relationships while reflecting on her supposed crimes.
Agnes was sentenced to death for her part in the murders of Natan Ketilsson and Pétur Jónsson, as well as setting fire to Natan’s homestead, Illugastaðir. Agnes was an accomplice to the murders, which were carried out in 1828. Her beheading ultimately took place on the 12th of January, 1830, alongside Friðrik Sigurðsson. These two executions were the last ones to take place in Iceland. The last execution before the one of Agnes and Friðik had taken place in 1790, 40 years earlier. All of the farmers in Húnavatnssýsla, in the north of Iceland, were required to attend the execution. The head of Agnes was placed on a spike to warn others of committing crimes.
Luca Guadagnino, who directed ‘Call Me by Your Name’, will direct the film, according to Variety. TriStar Pictures, a division of Sony Pictures, has acquired rights for the film. “Luca is a rare talent. His movies capture an exquisite sense of place inextricably linked to the emotional state of the complex characters he creates,” TriStar Pictures president Hannah Minghella said in a statement. “I can’t imagine a more thrilling partnership than Luca and Jennifer coming together to bring Agnes’ beautiful and tragic story to life.”
The author Hannah Kent, who hails from Australia, was inspired to write the story after visiting the site of the beheading in the north of Iceland. She had previously stayed in a nearby area when she was a Rotary student at the age of 18. The novel has been translated into over twenty languages and was a best-seller when it was released in 2013. It was translated into Icelandic as ‘Náðarstund’.
Jennifer Lawrence is an Oscar award-winning actress, having featured in films such as the Hunger Games franchise and the Silver Linings Playbook. She is currently one of the highest-paid actresses in Hollywood.
