Dead Man Walking (film) Dead Man Walking (film) Dead Man Walking is a 1995 American crime drama film starring Susan Sarandon and Sean Penn, and co-produced and directed by Tim Robbins, who adapted the screenplay from the non-fiction book of the same name. Sister Helen Prejean (Sarandon) establishes a special relationship with Matthew Poncelet (Penn) – based on real-life murderers Elmo Patrick Sonnier and Robert Lee Willie – a prisoner on death row in Louisiana, acting as his spiritual adviser after carrying on correspondence with him. Matthew Poncelet has been in prison for six years, awaiting his execution after being sentenced to death for
Dead Man Walking (opera) Dead Man Walking (opera) Dead Man Walking is the first opera by Jake Heggie, with a libretto by Terrence McNally. Based on the book of the same name by Sister Helen Prejean, C.S.J., the work premiered on October 7, 2000, at the War Memorial Opera House, produced by the San Francisco Opera. The 2000 premiere production was commissioned by then-General Director Lotfi Mansouri and the stage director was Joe Mantello. Sets, costumes and lighting were designed by Michael Yeargen, Sam Fleming, and Jennifer Tipton, respectively. The Australian premiere and first performance outside the United States took place in August 2003