Luca Guadagnino, currently drumming up Oscar buzz for the ravishing “Call Me by Your Name,” will direct Jennifer Lawrence in “Burial Rites,” Variety has learned. Lawrence will produce, as well as star in the true-crime drama. TriStar Pictures, a division of Sony Pictures, has worldwide rights to the picture.

The film draws on Hannah Kent’s 2013 novel of the same name, and centers on Agnes Magnusdottir (Lawrence), the last woman to be publicly executed in Iceland in 1830. Agnes was sentenced to death for killing two men and setting fire to their home. The story takes place as Agnes awaits confirmation of her death sentence by the high court, a period of time that finds her reluctantly forging emotional and romantic bonds, while reflecting on her supposed crimes.

Allison Shearmur, an executive who oversaw development and production of “The Hunger Games” at Lionsgate, and Justine Ciarrocchi will produce with Lawrence. Shearmur most recently produced “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” and is also producing the upcoming “Solo: A Star Wars Story.”

Gary Ross and Jerry Kalajian will executive produce. At one point, it had looked like Ross would direct the film, potentially reuniting him with Lawrence, the star of “The Hunger Games.” An earlier iteration of the project had been set up at Lionsgate. TriStar president Hannah Minghella and Shary Shirazi, a creative executive, will oversee the production for TriStar Pictures. Source