This is a project Ross has been developing for years, and with McConaughey on board it should have no problem with financing. Free State of Jones tells the true story of Newton Knight, a Confederate soldier and farmer during the Civil War who defected and led a rebellion against them. He and a group of like-minded individuals set out to form the Free State of Jones around Mississippi. Knight was a controversial figure seen as a traitor by some and noble by others. He conducted raids against the Confederacy during the war, and also was in a common law marriage with a slave at a time when it was both illegal and frowned upon socially.
A film loosely based on Knight's exploits was released in 1948, titled Tap Roots. [Deadline]
