Over the past twenty years, We’ve had the privilege of helping bring many stories to the screen. Some have made people laugh and few have challenged audiences to see the world a little differently.

Every so often, though, a story comes along that simply won’t let you go.

For us, that story is James Scott’s.

Today, we are proud to announce that Third Coast Film has officially acquired the rights and begun development of our feature film, An Act of God, inspired by the remarkable true story of James Scott and based on Adam Pitluk’s acclaimed book Damned to Eternity. 

James has spent more than thirty-three years in prison serving a life sentence for allegedly causing a flood during the Great Flood of 1993. To this day, he remains the only person in American history convicted of intentionally causing a flood.

Whether you’ve followed the case for years or have never heard his name before, one thing becomes clear the deeper you dig: there are questions that deserve to be asked.

Questions about evidence.

Questions about witness testimony.

Questions about investigative procedures.

Questions about what happens when tragedy strikes and an entire community desperately wants answers.

Our job as filmmakers is not to retry cases. It isn’t to determine guilt or innocence.

Our responsibility is something different.

It is to tell stories honestly.

To pursue truth wherever it leads.

To examine complicated people and complicated events with humility.

And to invite audiences to wrestle with difficult questions for themselves.

That’s exactly what An Act of God intends to do.

As development moves forward, Third Coast Film is also launching a broader research initiative surrounding the James Scott case. While Adam Pitluk’s extraordinary work provides the foundation for our film, our team will continue interviewing individuals connected to the events, reviewing historical materials, and examining information that has surfaced over the last three decades.

If we’re going to tell this story, we’re going to do it the right way.

The timing of this announcement is especially meaningful. As many of you know, James Scott has an upcoming court hearing on July 22. Regardless of the outcome, we believe renewed public attention provides an important opportunity to revisit one of the most unusual and debated criminal cases in modern American history.

Stories like this matter.

Not because they provide easy answers.

Because they remind us that justice is a pursuit, not a destination.

They remind us that history is often more complicated than the headlines we remember.

And they remind us that every person, regardless of what we believe about them, deserves to have their story told with honesty, fairness, and humanity.

We’re also excited to share that An Act of God is currently being developed with several high-profile creative and producing partners. While we aren’t ready to announce those collaborations publicly, we’re looking forward to sharing more as the project continues to take shape.

This film has been years in the making. There is still much work ahead, but we couldn’t be more excited about where we’re headed.

Thank you to Adam Pitluk for his remarkable reporting and perseverance. Thank you to everyone who has shared their experiences, documents, and perspectives with us throughout this process. And thank you to those who believe, as we do, that powerful stories can entertain while also encouraging thoughtful conversation.

We’ll have much more to share in the months ahead.

Blake Babson, Brian Williams and Charly Snider,

Third Coast Film