Production has officially commenced on two upcoming projects.  First up, filming is underway in Atlanta on the real-life drama Devil’s Knot, directed by Atom Egoyan.  The film stars Reese Witherspoon and Colin Firth and follows the true story of the West Memphis 3 case, in which three teenagers were wrongfully charged with murdering three young boys in West Memphis, Arkansas in the 1990s.  Witherspoon plays the mother of one of the victims, while Firth plays the private investigator hired to look into the case.  The cast also includes Amy Ryan, Dane DeHaan, and Stephen Moyer.

Additionally, production has begun in New York on the relationship drama Very Good Girls.  Directed by Naomi Foner, the film stars Dakota Fanning and Elizabeth Olsen as two best friends determined to lose their virginity, only to fall for the same boy.  The cast also includes Boyd Holbrook, Demi Moore, Ellen Barkin, Richard Dreyfuss, Peter Skarsgaard, and Clark Gregg.  The score will be composed by Jenny Lewis. Hit the jump to read press releases for both films.

Here’s Devil’s Knot:

PRINCIPAL PHOTOGRAPHY BEGINS ON ATOM EGOYAN’S DEVIL’S KNOT

Crime Thriller Starring Colin Firth and Reese Witherspoon Shooting in Atlanta, GA

Monday, June 16th, 2012 (Atlanta, GA) – Atom Egoyan’s Devil's Knot, starring Colin Firth and Reese Witherspoon, commenced principal photography in Atlanta, GA. Elizabeth Fowler, Richard Saperstein and Clark Peterson are producing alongside Worldview Entertainment’s CEO, Christopher Woodrow. Devil's Knot is based on a screenplay by Scott Derrickson and Paul Harris Boardman, who is also producing. Worldview’s Molly Conners, Sarah Johnson Redlich, Maria Cestone and Hoyt David Morgan will executive produce alongside actual defendants Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley Jr. Devil's Knot is a Fowler-Saperstein-Peterson Production. The Weinstein Company is handling international sales and CAA is handling North American rights.

The West Memphis Three biopic is based on the 2002 bestselling book by investigative journalist Mara Leveritt about the savage murders of three young children that sparked a controversial trial of three teenagers accused of killing the kids as part of a satanic ritual. The trial made headlines again recently when the defendants were released in August of 2011, due to new evidence uncovered by the defense, after 18 years in prison.

In addition to Academy Award® winners Firth and Witherspoon, the star-studded cast includes Alessandro Nivola (Coco before ChanelJunebug), Stephen Moyer (True Blood), Amy Ryan (Win WinGone Baby Gone), Matt Letscher (ABC's Scandal), Michael Gladis (Mad Men), Rex Linn (Appaloosa), Mireille Enos (The Killing, Gangster Squad), Dane DeHaan (Lawless, Chronicle) and Bruce Greenwood (The Place Beyond the Pines, Star Trek). The production team includes production designer, Phillip Barker; art director, Thomas Minton; set decorator, Melinda Sanders; director of photography, Paul Sarossy; costume designer, Kari Perkins; editor, Susan Shipton; and sound mixer, Shirley Libby.

Worldview’s current slate includes Guillaume Canet’s crime thriller, “Blood Ties,” starring Clive Owen, Zoe Saldana and Mila Kunis; James Gray’s untitled epic period drama starring Marion Cotillard, Joaquin Phoenix and Jeremy Renner; Eran Creevy’s British crime thriller, “Welcome to the Punch,” starring James McAvoy; and “Killer Joe,” from filmmaker William Friedkin, starring Matthew McConaughey and Emile Hirsch, opening in theaters this summer.

Here’s Very Good Girls:

PRINCIPAL PHOTOGRAPHY BEGINS ON ‘VERY GOOD GIRLS’

New York, NY (July 16, 2012) – Principal photography has begun on “Very Good Girls,” written and directed by Naomi Foner, with Dakota Fanning, Elizabeth Olsen, Boyd Holbrook, Demi Moore, Ellen Barkin, Richard Dreyfuss, Clark Gregg, Kiernan Shipka and Peter Sarsgaard. Norton Herrick’s Herrick Entertainment is producing and financing the project with Michael London’s Groundswell Productions producing. “Very Good Girls” will shoot on location in New York.

“Very Good Girls” tells the story of two lifelong best friends, both determined to lose their virginity as a rite of passage into the adult world. When they fall in love with the same boy, their quest threatens to tear their relationship apart.

“We are proud to be producing this picture in New York, with such a talented cast,” commented producer Norton Herrick of Herrick Entertainment. “Naomi Foner is an extraordinarily gifted writer and we’re thrilled to be taking part in her wonderful story and directorial debut.”

Dakota Fanning (“Twilight Saga,” “The Runaways”) and Elizabeth Olsen (“Martha Marcy May Marlene,” “Silent House”) star as lifelong best friends, with Boyd Holbrook (The History Channel’s “Hatfields & McCoys,” “Milk”) playing the love interest.   Demi Moore (“Margin Call,” “A Few Good Men”) and Academy Award® winning actor Richard Dreyfuss (“The Goodbye Girl,” “Mr. Holland’s Opus”) play Olsen’s parents. Tony Award Winning Actress Ellen Barkin (“The Normal Heart,” NBC’s “The New Normal”) and Clark Gregg (“The Avengers,” NBC’s “The West Wing”) play Fanning’s parents. Supporting cast includes Kiernan Shipka (AMC’s “Mad Men”) as Fanning’s sister and Peter Sarsgaard (“An Education,” “Robot & Frank”), who plays Fanning’s boss at her summer job. Jenny Lewis, formerly of the indie rock band Rilo Kiley, will serve as composer and music supervisor on the film.

Janice Williams, Lee Clay, Peter Graves, Hawk Koch, and Gale Anne Hurd are executive producers.

Norton Herrick, Michael London and Mary Jane Skalski are producing. Naomi Foner has written several screenplays, including “Losing Isaiah,” “Bee Season,” and “Running on Empty,” for which she received an Academy Award® nomination for Best Original Screenplay. “Very Good Girls” marks her directorial debut.