First Official Still From “Phillip Morris”
The first official production photo from the new Jim Carrey comedy I Love You Phillip Morris has been revealed on JimCarreyOnline. Adapted from Steve McVicker’s 2003 novel, and based on a true story. Carrey plays Russell, a criminal who falls in love with his cell mate, Phillip Morris (Ewan McGregor). After Morris’ release from prison, Russell attempts a variety of bizarre prison escapes in hopes of reuniting with the love of his life. The movie was apparently pitched as “Catch Me if You Can meets Brokeback Mountain“. The screenplay was witten by the team who did Bad Santa. You can read the actual book description below.
Steven Russell possessed unusual talents-he was a jailhouse Houdini with a specialty in fraud. Staging his escapes on a series of Friday the thirteenths, he managed to outwit the Texas criminal justice experts in four ingenious jailbreaks. The first time, he simply waved a walkie-talkie convincingly and was buzzed out by an affable guard. Another time he used a green pen and a bucket of water to concoct surgical scrubs and sauntered out. His ensuing escapes grew more audacious, as did his plans to reunite with his co-convict lover. Award-winning journalist Steve McVicker captures with a pitch-perfect blend of humor and disbelief the real-life story of Steven Russell, a con man so shrewd, relentless, and incorrigible that he’d be walking free today, if it weren’t for his fatal aw-he’s in love with a man named Phillip Morris. Written with exclusive cooperation and disclosure from Russell, who’s serving 45 years plus 99 years in a maximum-security jail (at least, for now), I Love You Phillip Morris tells an oddball American tall tale of what can happen when mocking the law, a daredevil spirit, and undying love collide.
