NOVEMBER 2024:

Based on In with the Devil: A Fallen Hero, a Serial Killer, and a Dangerous Bargain for Redemption by James Keene, and Hillel Levin, Developed by Dennis Lehane, Starring: Taron Egerton, Paul Walter Hauser, Sepideh Moafi, Greg Kinnear, and Ray Liotta. Photo Credit: Apple Inc.
This true story is the basis for the hit APPLE TV series, BLACK BIRD, starring Taron Edgerton, Paul Walter Hauser, Greg Kinnear, and Ray Liotta. Jimmy Keene was offered an impossible mission: Coax a confession out of a fellow inmate, a serial killer, and walk free. Jimmy Keene grew up outside of Chicago. Although he was the son of a policeman and rubbed shoulders with the city's elite, he ended up on the wrong side of the law and was sentenced to ten years with no chance of parole. Just a few months into his sentence, Keene was approached by the prosecutor who put him behind bars. He had convicted a man named Larry Hall for abducting and killing a fifteen-year-old. Although Hall was suspected of killing nineteen other young women, there was a chance he could still be released on appeal. If Keene could get him to confess to two murders, there would be no doubt about Hall's guilt. In return, Keene would get an unconditional release from prison. But he could also get killed. A story that gained national notoriety, this is Keene's powerful tale of peril, violence, and redemption.
James Keene is an American author, writer, executive film producer, and businessman. He has written three novels about his experience and his life. In 2022, he released his second book, Black Bird: One Man's Freedom Hides in Another Man's Darkness. It was adapted into the Apple TV+ series Black Bird in 2022, on which he acted as executive producer. Keene was a former operative for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) who worked to gather incriminating evidence on suspected serial killer Larry Hall. Approximately seven months into Keene’s sentence, the FBI and U.S. Attorney Beaumont approached him with an arrangement that would allow Keene to regain his freedom and have a fresh start with a clean record.[6] The redemptive plan involved him being recruited and working as a post-trial FBI operative that would transfer to the Medical Center for Federal Prisoners (MCFP).[5] Keene was tasked with befriending Larry Hall, a man suspected of raping and murdering dozens of young women between 1980 and 1994.[7] Law enforcement had only found the remains of one of Hall's victims, 15-year-old Jessica Roach. Hall confessed to the murder, but prosecutors lacked strong physical evidence for the case. After Hall retracted his confession and his attorneys filed an appeal, the FBI feared Hall's possible release was imminent. However, if Keene succeeded in obtaining new incriminating evidence about Hall while in MCFP, the U.S. Attorney and FBI agreed to end Keene's sentence and completely expunge his record.[8] Keene’s FBI contacts arranged a secret cover for Keene, who then successfully transferred to the MCFP and earned Hall’s trust. Hall admitted to specific details about many of his crimes and murders in graphic details to Keene that no one but the killer could have known. On one occasion, Keene witnessed Hall with a map that appeared to show the locations of his victims’ remains, and Keene reported the information to his FBI contacts.[9] The U.S. Attorney and FBI rewarded Keene’s efforts in 1996 with early release and a completely clean record. Based on the new evidence Keene uncovered, Larry Hall's appeal was denied. Hall remains in prison and has confessed to over twenty murders during his incarceration.[7] He is serving a life sentence without parole in Butner, North Carolina.[10] Apple series In 2008 Paramount Motion Pictures, alongside GK-Films, purchased Keene's story and life rights to make a feature motion picture film at Paramount. Brad Pitt was attached to play the lead role as James "Jimmy" Keene, and Pitt’s production company Plan B was set to produce alongside Paramount and GK-Films.[11][12] Apple TV eventually purchased Keene's story and life rights from Paramount for the miniseries Black Bird with Taron Egerton as Keene and Paul Walter Hauser as the serial killer Larry Hall.[citation needed] In 2022, Apple TV+ released Black Bird. Keene was executive producer on the project and had a cameo appearance in the final episode.[9] Black Bird was nominated for three Golden Globe awards at the 80th Golden Globes Awards, with Taron Egerton, who portrayed Keene, being nominated for Best Actor in a Limited Series.
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Taron Egerton in a scene from the Limited Series, "Black Bird". Photo Credit: Apple Inc.
Paul Walter Hauser in a scene from the limited series, "Black Bird" (2022) Photo Credit: Apple TV+
Taron Egerton and Paul Walter Hauser in a scene from the limited series, "Black Bird" (2022) Photo Credit: Apple TV+
Larry DeWayne Hall (born December 11, 1962) is an American kidnapper, rapist, murderer, and suspected serial killer. An aficionado of the American Revolution and Civil War, Hall traveled around the Midwest for historical reenactments and is believed to have abducted, raped, tortured, and murdered dozens of girls and women. Hall came to police attention after the discovery of a 15-year-old's remains in November 1993, and was convicted of her kidnapping. He later confessed to that and an additional murder, though recanted his confessions of both crimes. Since his arrest, Hall has confessed to more than thirty-five murders, recanting them all. However, authorities believe he could be responsible for the deaths and disappearances of between forty and fifty young women, which would place him among the most prolific serial killers in American history.
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