The Academy Award-winning actor is said to be in talks about portraying the leading character in a drama film inspired by the Ehret basketball team who became 2005-06 State Champion.
- January 16, 2008
AceShowbiz -
Forest Whitaker is reportedly in talks with The Weinstein Company. According to Variety, the "The Last King of Scotland" star has been discussing about the possibility of him joining the studio's new drama project "Patriots" as the lead character.
If everything went well, the Academy Award-winning actor is going to depict Al Collins, the basketball coach for John Ehret High in Marrero, Louisiana. Additionally, if he joins the project, the 46-year-old actor will once again work with the studio and screenwriter Robert Eisele, who wrote "The Great Debaters".
The fact-based drama will be directed by "Fantastic Four" helmer Tim Story. About him being involved in the project, Story commented, "I've gotten caught up with the 'Fantastic Four' films but wanted to find a smaller film with heart, that brought me back to 'Barbershop', and this has come together with one of the best actors out there. What Coach Collins did to give back the lives of his players is so inspiring."
"Patriots" tells the story of Collins as he led his Patriots team to the state championship a year after Hurricane Katrina ravaged the school and displaced many of its students. The team consisted of only 10 players and prior to the disaster, they attended five different schools. In the meantime, the film is scheduled to start shooting in early April and is expected to be released around Thanksgiving.
