Cillian Murphy to headline Universal's Blood Runs Coal

Cillian Murphy, who recently made head turns after his much-deserved Oscar win for his stint in Oppenheimer, is all set to headline a mining drama film, Blood Runs Coal, for Universal.

The film is an adaptation of the 2020 non-fiction book by Mark A Bradley, titled Blood Runs Coal: The Yablonski Murders and the Battle for the United Mine Workers of America. The narrative is about the murder of the mining union organiser Joseph Jock Yablonski, his wife and daughter, who were all killed at their home. This was followed by a campaign against a corrupt union leader and unearthed shady dealings within the mining industry, as a result of a detailed investigation.

The script for Blood Runs Coal will be adapted by Jez Butterworth and John-Henry Butterworth, known for their work on Edge of Tomorrow. Producers of the project include John Davis and Jordan Davis under the Davis Entertainment banner and Murphy and Alan Moloney under the Big Things Films banner. The author, Bradley, will serve as an executive producer for Blood Runs Coal.

Apart from Blood Runs Coal, Murphy also has a standalone Peaky Blinders film and a sequel trilogy to 28 Days Later, in the pipeline.