Oscar winner Cillian Murphy to set foot in another non-fiction film 'Blood Runs Coal'

Following his Oscar-winning role in the biopic Oppenheimer, Cillian Murphy is set to star in another real-life inspired film titled Blood Runs Coal. The movie will focus on the story of a labor union leader who was murdered by his rival. Murphy's role in the film or the names of other cast members have not been confirmed yet.

Adapted from Mark A. Bradley's 2020 book Blood Runs Coal: The Yablonski Murders and the Battle for the United Mine Workers of America, Universal Pictures acquired the film rights to the novel last February.

Cillian Murphy, 47, recently made headlines when he won the 2024 Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of the physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer. Based on a true story, the film chronicled Oppenheimer's rise and fall with a focus on his involvement in the Manhattan Project.

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Everything we know about Cillian Murphy's Blood Runs Coal

Mark A. Bradley's book Blood Runs Coal delves into corruption prevalent in union politics that led to a fradulent election and ultimately the murder of Joseph Yablonski. Joseph was a union activist and the president of UMW District 5. After he lost the 1969 election for UMWA Presidency to Tony Boyle, he filed a lawsuit and accused the organization of election fraud.

On December 31, 1969, Yablonski was murdered in his home along with his wife and 25-year-old daughter. The bodies were discovered after four days, and three hitmen were subsequently arrested by the police. Following a thorough investigation, Tony Boyle was discovered to be the mastermind behind the murder conspiracy. He was convicted in 1974 and sentenced to life in prison, where he eventually died in 1985.

Cillian Murphy will be producing the upcoming project with Alan Molony through Big Things films. John Davis and Jordan Davis will also serve as producers via Davis Entertainment. Meanwhile, the script will be penned by Jez Butterworth and John-Henry Butterworth. The author, Bradley, will be joining as executive producer.

After his big Oscar win, Murphy appeared on a film called Small Things Like These, which premiered at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival. He is also set to reprise his role as Thomas Shelby in a Peaky Blinders movie and will be seen in a sequel trilogy to 2002 horror thriller film, 28 Days Later.