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Hollywood royalty Jamie Foxx began his impressive acting career in the early '90s on the sketch comedy show In Living Color. For a few years, Foxx stuck to comedy, appearing in numerous sitcoms and movies alongside big names such as Robin Williams and Samuel L. Jackson - but it wasn't long before he showed the world he was more than just a one-trick pony. In his decades-long career, Foxx has pretty much done it all; romance, sports, drama, thriller, action, musical, animation, and, of course, law and crime. His most notable role is perhaps that of the title character in Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained, a revisionist Western set in 1800s Texas. After this career-defining role, Foxx later starred in 2019's biographical legal drama Just Mercy, in which he played a notorious inmate sentenced to death row. In keeping with this theme, Foxx is next set to feature in courtroom drama The Burial - but this time, he'll be on the other side of the law. Starring as real-life lawyer Willie Gary opposite Hollywood icon Tommy Lee Jones, Foxx's latest project is hitting screens very soon.
Keep reading to find out everything we know so far about The Burial.
When and Where Can You Watch 'The Burial'?
Following its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 11, 2023, The Burial will be released in select theaters across the United States on October 6, 2023.
However, don't worry if you can't catch the movie on the big screen, as The Burial will be available to stream on Prime Video starting on October 13, 2023. The legal drama will join Prime Video's huge collection of fantastic movies, with monthly plans starting at $8.99.
Is There a Trailer for 'The Burial'?
Prime Video released a trailer for The Burial on their official YouTube channel on September 7, 2023. The two-minute-long video has since accumulated over 10 million views in the short time since its premiere. Advertised primarily as a courtroom drama, from watching the trailer, it's clear that Jamie Foxx's finely honed comedic skill will not only make The Burial a gripping viewing but a hilarious one too. Without giving too many of the finer details away, in one scene we see O'Keefe's long-term lawyer of 30 years come face-to-face with Gary, who challenges the lawyer's prejudiced and outrageous viewpoints - that, unfortunately, don't seem to raise too many eyebrows in 90s Mississippi. This is a common theme throughout the trailer, where we see what would usually be a "serious" courtroom setting approached with a sense of levity. Additionally, the video gives us a brief look at the personalities of Willie Gary and Jeremiah O'Keefe. Gary is shown to be outspoken and confident, a talented lawyer who hasn't lost a case in 12 years, and somewhat of a living legend among the Black legal community. O'Keefe, however, is portrayed as more reserved, and it's revealed that his case against the Loewen Group will mark the first time O'Keefe has set foot in a courtroom throughout his long career. Hailed an "unlikely pair", audiences can expect chaos and hilarity as the two men bond over the course of this incredible story.
What Is 'The Burial' About?
Based on an inspirational true story, The Burial centers on the unconventional yet charismatic lawyer Willie Gary and his client Jeremiah O'Keefe. Set in 1995 Mississippi, the movie begins with a handshake deal gone terribly wrong between O'Keefe and fellow funeral homeowner Ray Loewen of Loewen Group, a large and quickly expanding funeral home company. The movie sees the Loewen Group putting an end to many of the smaller funeral businesses across the state, leaving many people, including O'Keefe, bankrupt. Thus, O'Keefe enlists the help of Willie Gary, an eccentric personal injury lawyer with plenty of experience regarding out-of-the-ordinary cases. With Gary's expertise, O'Keefe hopes to sue the Loewen Group for a huge amount of money, but will the unlikely pair manage to build the perfect case and secure their fortune?
The official synopsis for The Burial reads:
Inspired by true events, when a handshake deal goes sour, funeral homeowner Jeremiah O’Keefe (Academy Award winner Tommy Lee Jones) enlists charismatic, smooth-talking attorney Willie E. Gary (Academy Award winner Jamie Foxx) to save his family business. Tempers flare and laughter ensues as the unlikely pair bond while exposing corporate corruption and racial injustice in this inspirational, triumphant story.
Who's In the Cast of 'The Burial'?
Academy Award winner Jamie Foxx stars as the unconventional smooth-talking lawyer Willie Gary, with fellow Academy Award winner Tommy Lee Jones starring opposite as Gary's client, the bankrupt funeral homeowner Jeremiah O'Keefe.
Joining them are Jurnee Smollett (Lovecraft Country) as the opposing lawyer Mame Downes, Alan Ruck (Succession) as Mike Allred, Mamoudou Athie (Jurassic World: Dominion) as Hal Dockins, Pamela Reed (NCIS: Los Angeles) as Jeremiah's wife Annette, Bill Camp (12 Years a Slave) as Loewen funeral company owner Ray Loewen, Amanda Warren (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri) as Willie's wife Gloria Gary, Dorian Missick (Southland) as Reggie Douglas, Tywayne Wheatt (Oddly Oden) as Al Jones, Lance E. Nichols (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) as Judge Graves, Keith Jefferson (Django Unchained) as Dashaan Harris, B.J. Clinkscales (Saints & Sinners) as Chris Wakefield, Doug Spearman (Noah's Arc) as Richard Mayfield, Gralen Bryant Banks (The Banker) as Walter Bell, David Maldonado (Your Honor) as Jim Lafont, and Billy Slaughter (Anne Rice's Mayfair Witches) as Robert Sperry.
What Is the Background of 'The Burial'?
As mentioned, The Burial is loosely based on the true story of real-life lawyer Willie E. Gary and his client Jeremiah Joseph O'Keefe, who sued the Loewen Group funeral company in 1995. After gaining media attention in a 1999 New Yorker article, the case became one of Gary's most notable in a long and successful career. If you're waiting for the movie to see how the case ultimately concluded, don't worry, we won't spoil it for you here.
In the decades since the case, Gary has received multiple awards for excellence in his field and has been listed as one of the world's most wealthy lawyers.
Jeremiah Joseph O'Keefe passed away in 2016 at the age of 93, after an inspirational military and business career. O'Keefe was also an honored philanthropist and was the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award from the council of the Boy Scouts of America.
Who Made 'The Burial'?
The Burial is directed by Maggie Betts (Novitiate) from a script she co-wrote with Doug Wright (Quills). Jamie Foxx serves as a producer alongside Jenette Kahn (Gran Torino), Celine Rattray (The Kids Are All Right), Adam Richman (Gran Torino), Robert Shriver (True Lies), Trudie Styler (Moon), Datari Turner (They Cloned Tyrone), and Ian Watermeier (Law Abiding Citizen). Maryse Alberti (Creed) serves as the movie's cinematographer, with music by Michael Abels (Nope).
Before Betts signed onto the project, Academy Award winner Alexander Payne (Sideways) was attached to direct the film, before he left the project to direct The Holdovers.
More Movies Like 'The Burial' That You Can Watch Right Now
Just Mercy (2019) - A biographical legal drama, Just Mercy centers on the work of young and up-and-coming defense attorney Bryan Stevenson (Michael B. Jordan). After graduating from Harvard in 1989, Stevenson began his life's work of representing people in financial hardship sentenced to death row in the deep South. There, Stevenson meets inmate Walter McMillian (Jamie Foxx), a man who, despite being convicted of murdering a teenage girl, has always maintained his innocence. As Stevenson begins to examine the evidence that convicted McMillian, he realizes all is not as it seems.
I Care a Lot (2020) - I Care a Lot is a dark comedy thriller centering on con artist Marla Grayson (Rosamund Pike). Grayson funds her extravagant lifestyle by exploiting the elderly and taking them to court to appoint herself as their legal guardian. From there, she proceeds to put them into assisted living facilities, before selling off their homes and possessions. For years, Marla has run her courtroom operation like a well-oiled machine - until she sets her sights on a new victim: the elderly mother of a dangerous mafia boss.
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