Thursday, April 4, 2013

Kimberly Pierce To Follow Up Carrie With Aryan Brotherhood Drama The Brand

Director Kimberly Pierce has never been one to shy away from tricky subject matter. In 1999 she made her feature debut with Boys Don't Cry, a biopic about the tragically short life of transgendered teen Brandon Teena. Next came Stop Loss in which she tackled the titular controversial military policy that forces soldiers to stay enlisted past their initial contract. This fall will see her ballsy remake of the Stephen King thriller Carrie, and then Pierce will move from Carrie White to white supremacists for The Brand.

Deadline reports Pierce has been picked to direct the drama that is named for the Aryan Brotherhood's infamous prison gang. The script by penned by The Messenger's scribe Alessandro Camon and Snitch writer-director Ric Roman Waugh is based on the 2004 New Yorker article by David Grann. The original article, also called "The Brand," followed U.S. Attorney Gregory Jessner's quest to bring down the gang that thrived despite being behind bars, because of their strict hierarchy, merciless violence, and coded communications. The movie will show the rise of The Brand through the eyes of a young recruit who will rise through the racist gang's ranks, then consider defecting.