Posted by | Ray Cornelius
Actress and Emmy-Award winning former co-host of ABC’s “The View” Sherri Shepherd is teaming up with “Underground” star Aldis Hodge and acclaimed actor Greg Kinnear for the biopic “Brian Banks.”
The film tells the story of Banks (Hodge), an All-American high school football player committed to USC by his junior year whose life was upended in 2002 when he was falsely accused of rape.
Despite maintaining his innocence, Banks was railroaded through the system and sentenced to a decade of prison and parole. With the help of the California Innocence Project, spearheaded by Justin Brooks (Kinnear), the criminal defense attorney and CIP co-founder, Banks’ conviction was overturned in 2012. He briefly played with the Atlanta Falcons in the 2013 preseason. Shepherd will portray Banks’ mother, Leomia, who was the glue that kept Banks together during his trial.
The script was written by Doug Atchison who wrote and directed the critically acclaimed “Akeelah and the Bee.” It is also directed by Tom Shadyac and is being shot in Memphis, TN where he lives. He is also bringing in local film students to shadow and learn while he shoots the film.
In addition to this biopic, look for Shepherd to begin shooting the second season of NBC sitcom “Trial and Error,” starring John Lithgow in March 2018. She will be reprise her co-starring role as legal secretary “Anne Hatch.”
Stay tuned…
Photo Credits: BET.com + GQ.com +Variety.com
