Summary

• The Green Mile, based on a Stephen King novel, draws inspiration from real-life injustices faced by Black Americans in the 20th century.
• While not a true story, the film highlights flaws in the legal system in racialized cases during the Great Depression era.
• George Stinney's case, where an innocent 14-year-old was executed, shares eerie similarities with the storyline of John Coffey in The Green Mile.

Whether The Green Mile is based on a true story is a complicated question, as the story of the imprisonment and execution of Michael Clarke Duncan's John Coffey has clear fantasy elements, yet is also somewhat grounded in real life. The Green Mile is told from the perspective of Paul Edgecomb (Tom Hanks), a guard working on death row in a Louisiana penitentiary, nicknamed "The Green Mile," when an inmate named John Coffey arrives. Though innocent, Coffey was a black man who had been convicted of raping and murdering two young white girls.

Since The Green Mile, based on a book by Stephen King, takes place in the southern U.S. during the Great Depression, it's immediately clear John Coffey didn't stand a chance of winning back his freedom. Many elements of The Green Mile are clearly fictional, such as Coffey's miraculous healing ability. However, the more grounded elements feel eerily real. While The Green Mile isn't a true story, the Stephen King novel does draw from real-life. Stephen King doesn't often take on biographical works, but there's enough evidence to suggest that one particular individual inspires The Green Mile's story.

The Green Mile is currently unavailable to stream as part of any subscription service. However, it can be rented and purchased on multiple platforms including Amazon Prime Video and AppleTV.

Is The Story Of Green Mile True? John Coffey’s Real Life Inspiration

There Are Several Parallels To The Case Of George Stinney

Since this kind of tragic, unfair derailing and taking of a life has been documented in great quantities over the years, the question naturally arises as to whether The Green Mile is based on a true story or not. Technically, the answer is "no." The movie is an adaptation of the 1996 Stephen King novel The Green Mile. That said, there are certainly strong parallels to the real-life George Stinney case.

George Stinney was a 14-year-old boy convicted of killing, and possibly sexually assaulting, two young girls in 1944.

George Stinney was a 14-year-old boy convicted of killing, and possibly sexually assaulting, two young girls in 1944. Despite being a minor, Stinney was also executed by the electric chair the same year of his arrest and trial, and his innocence of the crime came into question too many years too late. The circumstances of Stinney's incarceration are incredibly similar to the reasons John Coffey was arrested in The Green Mile, and both the Stephen King character and the real-life minor were falsely accused and, tragically, executed for crimes they didn't commit.

There are differences between John Coffey in The Green Mile and George Stinney, of course. The most obvious difference is that John Coffey was a fully grown adult, whereas George Stinney was only 14 years old — a fact that makes his case all the more harrowing to consider. Stinney was from South Carolina instead of Louisiana, and the film's plot is set a decade before the events of his case. But, there are additional similarities between him and John Coffey.

Like The Green Mile's story, Stinney seems to have been innocent of his alleged crimes.

Like John Coffey The Green Mile's story, Stinney seems to have been innocent of his alleged crimes. In 2014, a South Carolina circuit court judge vacated his past conviction — meaning his previous guilty verdict was void. It was determined that Stinney's Sixth Amendment rights had been violated, and the judge believed it was likely the boy's confession had been coerced, which should have made it inadmissible in court. Also like John Coffey in The Green Mile, George Stinney never had a chance — an all-white jury decided his fate, and his so-called counsel provided him with barely any defense.

The Green Mile Is Based On A Truth-Inspired Stephen King Book

The Green Mile Novel Isn't A Biography, But It Does Draw From Real Life

While not a true story, The Green Mile is based on the Stephen King novel of the same name. The heart and plot of the book remain intact for the movie adaptation. However, changes were made to prevent the film from being "too sad" (if that can be believed). The Green Mile book's ending is actually more depressing. After Elaine dies, readers are made privy to the fact that Paul's wife Jan died in his arms after a tragic bus accident. This final blow is not featured in the movie, as it only would've brought out more waterworks than necessary.

It points the finger at legal systems in racialized cases during this time period, giving a snapshot of the many injustices faced by Black Americans during the 20th century and, sadly, to this day.

Another figure who died in the book (again) is the mouse Mr. Jingles, who passed shortly before Elaine. Finally, one of the most heinous villains in the novel doesn't appear in The Green Mile film adaptation. The character Brad Dolan is an attendant at the nursing home, who shares many traits with the guard Percy. He lets loose on the older Paul quite often and, thankfully, was cut from the movie.

Though The Green Mile isn't based on a true story, both the book and the movie chronicle a small snapshot of the widely documented failings of U.S. law enforcement. In addition, it points the finger at legal systems in racialized cases during this time period, giving a glimpse of the many injustices faced by Black Americans during the 20th century and, sadly, to this day.