In 2002, journalist Mike Finkel was fired from The New York Times for making up portions of an article he had written. Around the same time, a man who had been hiding from the police under the name Mike Finkel was arrested for killing his family. From there, things took a very Serial-esque turn, with the fake Finkel—whose real name is Christian Longo—contacting the real Finkel so he can tell him about his life. Of course, he does happen to be a convicted murderer, so things eventually take a dark turn.
That’s a true story, and it happens to be the basis for True Story, a new film from Rupert Goold that stars Jonah Hill as the real guy and James Franco as the fake guy. This trailer for True Story has a decidedly serious tone, with both Hill and Franco putting on the “I’m a real Actor” faces they cultivated in movies like 127 Hours and Moneyball. Assuming that nothing, you know, happens, True Story will premiere at the Sundance Film Festival early next year.