LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — A University of Kansas graduate is winning accolades after his adaptation of the 2001 true-crime book made it to the big screen in a movie starring Johnny Depp.

Mark Mallouk attended the Toronto International Film Festival premiere of “Black Mass” last Monday. The film is based on his adaption of the book “Black Mass: The True Story of an Unholy Alliance Between the FBI and the Irish Mob.”

The Lawrence Journal-World reports that Mallouk grew up in Prairie Village and graduated from the University of Kansas in 1995. He later moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in screenwriting.

“Black Mass” opened Friday at more than 3,500 movie theaters nationwide.