‘A Time to Kill’ Plotting Broadway Opening in Spring, Summer 2013

A stage adaptation of the John Grisham novel “A Time to Kill” is set to appear on Broadway in spring or summer 2013.

Producer Daryl Roth is set to bring the production to Broadway, according to ArtInfo.com. At this point, no official casting, theater or other information has been announced.

The stage adaptation, which is written by Rupert Holmes, first appeared at the Arena State in Washington, D.C. back in May of last year. The cast for that production featured veteran Sebastian Arcelus, as well as Erin Davie, Rosie Benton, Jeffrey M. Bender, Dion Graham, Brennan Brown and more.

Patrick Pacheco announced on ArtInfo.com that the upcoming Broadway production was discussed at a panel called “We Produce: Women Producers.” He also quotes Roth speaking of the novel.

“It’s about such important things as justice and family,” Roth said about “A Time to Kill.” “And even though some people may know the outcome, it’s an intense journey. The novel is set in 1980s Mississippi and focuses on the court case of a black military veteran accused of the revenge killing of two white racists who raped and beat his young daughter.

When granting the rights to a stage production, Grisham specified that the play must be produced regionally before moving to Broadway. Roth also spoke of whether the upcoming production would attract big-name stars.

“It does, and it doesn’t,” Roth said. “They don’t want to step into Matthew McConaughey’s shoes.”

“A Time to Kill” was Grisham’s first novel and was released in 1989. Interest in the novel was not immediate, and grew after the success of the author’s subsequent works, including “The Firm,” “The Client” and “The Pelican Brief.” The book was adapted into a film in 1996. That version stared Matthew McConaughey, Samuel L. Jackson, Sandra Bullock and Kevin Spacey.