Just Mercy release date, cast, trailer and plot – everything we know so far

Just Mercy had its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and it already looks like a strong contender for some big wins during award season. The film boasts big names in the cast, as well as a director who will join the Marvel universe with the first Asian-led film, Shang-Chi. Here is everything we know so far about the film – including when fans will get to see it in cinemas.

When is Just Mercy out in cinemas?

Just Mercy is out in UK cinemas on January 24, 2020.

The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 6, and it will have a limited UK release in order to qualify for awards.

This means it will come out in the USA from December 25, before having its full release across the Pond on January 10.

What is the plot of Just Mercy?

Just Mercy follows the story of real-life lawyer, Bryan Stevenson, who chose to move to Alabama after law school and fight for those who have been wrongly condemned – some to death.

Bryan was the founder of the Equal Justice Initiative, a civil rights charity which provides representation to inmates who have been illegally convicted, unfairly sentenced or abused in prison.

The film details a particularly landmark case for Bryan – when he defended Walter “Johnnie” McMillan, who was wrongly convicted of the murder of a teenage girl.

From here, the audience is shown the years following the case and the entanglement of lies and politics which engulfed Bryan, as he detailed in his 2015 memoir of the same name.

Who is in the cast of Just Mercy?

Michael B Jordan plays a young Bryan, while Jamie Foxx plays Walter McMillan.

Brie Larson, who is a frequent collaborator with director Destin Daniel Cretton, plays local activist Eva Ansley.

Also in the cast is Rob Morgan, playing Herbert Richardson and Tim Blake Nelson, playing Ralph Myers, a man whose coerced testimony has placed Walter in jail.

O’Shea Jackson Jr and Rafe Spall also have roles in the film.

Is there a trailer for Just Mercy?

There are a number of trailers, including one where Bryan discusses how hard it was to meet people on death row who are the same age as him.

He points out how similar his background is to some of those people, as he promises to help Walter get 

But it is clear he does not know very much about the real world of death row, as the coming-of-age story will reveal through courtroom

Just Mercy is in cinemas from January 24, 2020.