Cillian Murphy to Lead ‘Blood Runs Coal’ at Universal

Common Footage has pre-emptively landed an adaptation of Mark A. Bradley’s “Blood Runs Coal: The Yablonski Murders and the Battle for the United Mine Staff of America,” with newly-minted Oscar winner Cillian Murphy connected to star and produce.

Jez Butterworth (“Spectre,” “Ford v Ferrari”) and John-Henry Butterworth (“Get On Up,” “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Future”) will adapt the screenplay. They beforehand collaborated on “Fringe of Tomorrow.”

John Davis and Jordan Davis will produce by means of Davis Leisure, whereas Murphy and Alan Moloney will produce by means of Massive Issues Movies. Mark A. Bradley will government produce. Common’s Lexi Barta, who was just lately elevated to senior vp of manufacturing, will oversee the venture for the studio.

“Blood Runs Coal” takes place within the late Sixties in Pennsylvania’s coal mines, chronicling a surprising assassination that altered the historical past of American labor unions.

Murphy’s credit embrace movies similar to “Oppenheimer,” “The Darkish Knight,” “Pink Eye, “Dunkirk” and “A Quiet Place Half II,” whereas he’s best-known on tv as Tommy Shelby, the Birmingham gangster on the coronary heart of “Peaky Blinders.” He’s retaining busy following his latest Academy Award win, with upcoming tasks together with historic drama “Small Issues Like These,” Netflix’s “Steve” and a highly-anticipated “Peaky Blinders” movie. He’s additionally set to government produce “28 Years Later,” which is able to possible see him reprise his position from “28 Days Later.”

Murphy is repped by CAA, Lou Coulson Associates, David Weber/Sloane, Provide, Weber & Dern. Jez and John-Henry Butterworth are represented by CAA and Alan Wertheimer at Jackoway Austen Tyerman Wertheimer Mandelbaum Morris Bernstein Trattner Auerbach Hynick Jaime LeVine Pattern & Klein.

Deadline was first to report the information.