After some development issues and a change in director to Pablo Larraín, The True American is finally back on track, with Mark Ruffalo and The Big Sick's Kumail Nanjiani in talks to star. Now, assuming she can juggle the time in her schedule, Amy Adams will join them.
The movie draws from Anand Giridharadas' non-fiction tome, subtitled Murder And Mercy In Texas. It’s the story of Raisuddin Bhuiyan (Nanjiani), a Bangladesh Air Force officer who longed to live and work in America’s technology sector. He made it to the States, finding temporary work in a Dallas minimart, which is where cruel fate intervened. A few days after September 11, 2001, self-styled "American Terrorist" Mark Stroman (Ruffalo) walked into the store and shot him.
Some stories would end there, but the astonishing tale isn’t done: as Stroman sat on death row for his crime and Bhuiyan struggled to recuperate from injuries that had maimed and nearly killed him, the Bangladesh native decided to seek out his attacker and grant him forgiveness, while starting a campaign against the death penalty in their state. Stroman, for his part, strove to become a better man in prison.
Adams' character hasn't been revealed, and while she's very interested in the film, she's still figuring out if she has time to work on it while also promoting her new HBO series Sharp Objects. She'll also be seen in Adam McKay's Dick Cheney biopic, Backseat.
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