I had the distinct pleasure to talk with filmmaker Edward Zwick about his new motion picture ‘Trial by Fire‘, amongst other aspects of his career. ‘Trial by Fire‘ is Zwick’s newest film about the true crime story about the Texas State Prisoner Execution of Cameron Todd Willingham some years ago. The film stars Jack O’Connell and Laura Dern and follows the story of a father who escaped a home fire alive, but his two young kids were burned alive inside.
Police detectives arrested Willingham, claiming he start the fire and intentionally killed his kids. He was convicted and sentenced to death, where he was executed in 2004. Later, it was revealed that the Texas Governor and prosecuting attorneys, along with law enforcement withheld evidence that could have exonerated Willingham. The New Yorker even did a giant story on it in 2009, and now Edward Zwick has made a movie to tell this story.
Edward Zwick’s career is a mighty one, as he directed films like ‘Glory‘, ‘Legends of the Fall‘, ‘The Last Samurai‘, and more. We discuss making ‘Trial By Fire‘, casting, his inspirations, and even his past films. It was a lot of fun. You can listen to the interview below. And don’t forget to visit iTunes and Stitcher to subscribe to our podcast. Enjoy the show and see you next week! Thank you for listening.
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