Our Town’s Virgil Williams’ hit Sundance film sold to Netflix

One of the films that generated a lot of buzz at the just-concluded Sundance Film Festival was director Dee Rees’ “Mudbound,” starring Carey Mulligan, Garrett Hedlund and Mary J. Blige — based on a screenplay penned by Rees and Chicagoan Virgil Williams.

The film was sold to Netflix at Sundance for $12.5 million, reportedly the largest deal inked at this year’s festival. Adapted by Williams and Rees from Hilary Jordan’s bestselling novel, “Mudbound” focuses on the lives of two men who return from World War II to work on a farm in rural Mississippi, where they face racism and a struggle to adjusting to civilian life, following their military service.

Williams has carved out a very successful career writing and producing for television — including “Criminal Minds,” “24,” and “ER.” Currently he is writing and producing the 12th season of “Criminal Minds.”