David E. Kelley Discusses Adapting “Presumed Innocent” Based On The Iconic Crime Novel
Did Rusty Do It?
After a brief stint as a lawyer in Boston, David E. Kelley quit his job, moved to Los Angeles, wrote and sold a spec screenplay called From The Hip in 1987. He subsequently forged a successful career as a television writer and producer. He’s known for venerable TV shows like L.A. Law, Boston Legal, The Practice (also based on a team of Boston attorneys) and The Lincoln Lawyer. You can take the man out of the law, but not the law out of the man.
Kelley now tries his hand at a reworking of #PresumedInnocent, based on the acclaimed Scott Turow novel of 1987 which was later adapted into a film in 1990 starring Harrison Ford.
The venerable writer/ producer shared his thoughts about his vision of Presumed Innocent starring Jake Gyllenhaal as Rusty Sabich, the Chicago attorney accused of an horrific murder.
“I wasn’t looking to improve upon the book so much as to be able to filmically depict what couldn’t have been done in a movie limited to two hours. I was a huge fan of the book and really loved the legal thriller nature of it, the plot, but also the characters. It’s a lot to unpack in a two-hour movie,” shares Kelley. An expanded eight episode TV series was a logical extension of the story.
Continue reading our interview HERE.