Jamie Foxx plays Tommy Lee Jones' attorney in the new trailer for Prime Video's The Burial. The legal drama film directed by Maggie Betts is based on a 1999 New Yorker article about attorney Willie E. Gary and his client Jeremiah Joseph O'Keefe's lawsuit against a funeral company.
The official Amazon Studios synopsis reads: “Inspired by true events, when a handshake deal goes sour, funeral homeowner Jeremiah O’Keefe (Academy Award winner Tommy Lee Jones) enlists charismatic, smooth-talking attorney Willie E. Gary (Academy Award winner Jamie Foxx) to save his family business. Tempers flare and laughter ensues as the unlikely pair bond while exposing corporate corruption and racial injustice in this inspirational, triumphant story.”
Jamie Foxx Says The Burial Is a “Great American Story”
In an interview with People, Oscar-winner Foxx says that The Burial is a “great American story.” He continues, “We actually heard about this project probably 15 years ago. So it tells you how projects can be special. You hear about it 15 years ago, but now, everything lines up. Maggie Betts lines up. [Producer] Datari Turner lines up. Everybody involved lines up, and then here we are embarking upon an incredible story, with an amazing character. It just feels good!”
Oscar-winner Jones — a man of few words — adds, “I had a lot of fun working with Jamie. He's fun to be around, and every work day was highly energized. We did a lot of laughing and some pretty good work got done, too.”
In the same interview, Betts sings the praises of Foxx. “The real Willie Gary has a huge, larger-than-life personality, and I knew Jamie had the talent, charisma and range to bring this complex and multi-faceted persona to the screen,” she says. “He was a perfect match for the role, and he brought so much more humanity and vulnerability to the character than I could have ever expected which, as a director, was very exciting to work with.”
About the film itself, Betts says, “The film is triumphant and inspiring, and will leave audiences laughing, cheering and feeling deeply.”
Earlier this year, Foxx was hospitalized for an undisclosed medical issue. After rumors circulated about the seriousness of his condition, his daughter Corinne reportedly said that he was “out of the hospital for weeks, recuperating.” In July, Foxx posted a teary Instagram video in which he comments about his health scare.
The Burial plays in select theaters on October 6 before streaming on Prime Video on October 13.