Nearly 50 years after Gary Gilmore’s execution became a defining moment in American legal history, his story is returning to the screen. Jacob Elordi will portray the convicted murderer in a new adaptation of The Executioner’s Song, bringing Norman Mailer’s Pulitzer Prize-winning account back into the spotlight.
The project also marks another significant dramatic role for the Oscar-nominated actor, who recently portrayed the Creature in Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein. However, this time, the material comes from a documented criminal case rather than a work of Gothic fiction.
Jacob Elordi will star in and produce the new United Artists film
According to Deadline’s exclusive report published on November 10, 2026, United Artists has acquired the rights to the 1982 film The Executioner’s Song. The studio, led by former Netflix film chief Scott Stuber, has also secured Jacob Elordi to play Gary Gilmore.
Elordi will additionally serve as a producer, giving him a role in the project beyond his performance. The new film draws on Norman Mailer’s 1979 book, which examined Gilmore’s crimes, imprisonment and eventual execution.
Here are the confirmed details about the new adaptation:
- Project: A new adaptation of The Executioner’s Song.
- Lead actor: Jacob Elordi will portray Gary Gilmore.
- Additional involvement: Elordi will also produce the film.
- Studio: United Artists, headed by Scott Stuber.
- Rights: United Artists has acquired the rights to the 1982 film.
- Literary foundation: Norman Mailer’s 1979 Pulitzer Prize-winning true-life novel.
- Director and screenwriter: Not announced.
- Additional cast: No other performers have been confirmed.
- Filming and release dates: Not announced.
- Distribution: No release platform has been confirmed.
For now, the announcement establishes the lead performer, his producing involvement and the studio behind the project. It does not yet indicate how closely the new version will follow the structure of Mailer’s book or the earlier television film.
Gary Gilmore’s case became a landmark in American death penalty history
The Executioner’s Song concerns events that took place in Utah during the 1970s. In 1976, Gary Gilmore murdered two men and was subsequently sentenced to death. His case attracted national attention not only because of the crimes, but also because of what happened after his conviction.
Gilmore refused to pursue an appeal and demanded that his sentence be carried out. On January 17, 1977, he was executed by firing squad in Utah. His death marked the first execution in the United States following the Supreme Court’s reinstatement of capital punishment in 1976.
That historical distinction is essential to understanding why the case became the subject of a major literary work. Gilmore’s actions unfolded during a pivotal period for the American death penalty, when its legal return was being translated into actual executions.
The new adaptation therefore has two connected subjects: the crimes committed by Gilmore and the wider legal history surrounding his punishment. Both are central to understanding the events behind Mailer’s account.
Norman Mailer’s book and the 1982 film established the story’s screen legacy
Before the newly announced production, The Executioner’s Song had already reached audiences through literature and television. Mailer’s book appeared in 1979 and won the Pulitzer Prize, establishing the case as the subject of an acclaimed work of narrative nonfiction.
Three years later, director Lawrence Schiller brought the material to television. Mailer wrote the screenplay himself, while Tommy Lee Jones portrayed Gilmore opposite Rosanna Arquette. Jones subsequently received an Emmy for his performance.
The essential historical and adaptation details are:
- 1976: Gary Gilmore murdered two men in Utah.
- 1976: The US Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty.
- January 17, 1977: Gilmore was executed by firing squad after refusing to appeal his sentence.
- Historical significance: His execution was the first in the United States following the reinstatement of capital punishment.
- 1979: Norman Mailer published The Executioner’s Song, which won the Pulitzer Prize.
- 1982: The Executioner’s Song was adapted into a television movie.
- Director: Lawrence Schiller.
- Screenwriter: Norman Mailer.
- Principal performers: Tommy Lee Jones as Gilmore, alongside Rosanna Arquette.
- Award recognition: Jones won an Emmy for portraying Gilmore.
This background creates an important distinction for the upcoming film. The project is not introducing an unfamiliar historical subject to cinema. Instead, it is revisiting material that has already produced both an award-winning book and a recognized television performance.
Consequently, viewers familiar with the 1982 version will have an earlier interpretation to consider. New audiences, meanwhile, may encounter the case for the first time through Elordi’s portrayal.
Jacob Elordi moves from Frankenstein to another demanding literary adaptation
Elordi’s involvement also connects two very different literary properties. His recent appearance as the Creature in Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein placed him within a fictional story about creation, responsibility and mortality. The Executioner’s Song, by contrast, is grounded in real murders and their judicial consequences.
For those following his recent work, we have also covered the restored scene in Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein. That production offers a useful comparison because both roles emerge from established books, although their historical foundations are fundamentally different.
The distinction matters when considering the new project. Rather than portraying an invented character, Elordi will represent a real individual whose crimes and execution remain part of the historical record. The film’s eventual approach to those events will depend on creative decisions that have not yet been announced.
Another upcoming film exploring documented events is Danny Boyle’s Ink. Its recently released trailer introduces a different chapter of twentieth-century history, as explained in our coverage of the Ink trailer and its historical newspaper drama.
While the two productions address unrelated subjects, they illustrate how filmmakers can revisit real events through different narrative perspectives. In The Executioner’s Song, the central challenge will be translating a substantial work of literary nonfiction into a new screen adaptation.
Jacob Elordi’s The Executioner’s Song now has its lead actor, producer and studio in place, but several essential production details remain unknown. Until a director, screenplay and release plans are confirmed, the clearest point of comparison is the story’s established history: Mailer’s 1979 book, the acclaimed 1982 television movie and the events surrounding Gilmore’s execution in 1977.
Creator of the website, Pokemon trainer by nature. Trying to report on everything related to the world of video games, series and movies. Yu-Gi-Oh is my weakness, collecting cards since the dawn of time.
