Nearly 20 years since the theatrical release of Oscar-nominated filmmaker Gus Van Sant’s drama film Finding Forrester, Deadline brings word that NBC is in the process of developing a series reboot of the 2000 Sean Connery-led film which will feature a female lead in place of Connery’s mentor character. The project hails from NBA superstar Stephen Curry and The Chi executive producing duo TJ Brady and Rasheed Newson.
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Inspired by the 2000 film of the same name, Finding Forrester series will center around a homeless 16-year-old orphan who leverages his basketball skills to hustle his way into an ultra-competitive elite boarding school, and the other a reclusive lesbian author whose career was ruined by a public scandal. The series will reportedly examine the cost of success and the price of redemption through the unique bond between two gifted black writers.
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The adaptation will be penned and executive produced by Newson and Brady with Tim Story (Ride Along) set as its director and executive producer. It will also be executive produced by Curry and Erick Peyton through their Unanimous Media banner. It is a production by Sony Pictures TV with Story Co.’s Sharla Sumpter to serve as an executive producer.
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The original film was directed by Gus Van Sant (My Own Private Idaho, Good Will Hunting) from a screenplay written by Mike Rich. It starred Rob Brown and the late Sean Connery which followed a black teenager named Jamal Wallace, a gifted writer and basketball player who had the chance of studying at a prestigious private high school. There he gets to befriend award-winning author William Forrester who guided him through honing his writing skills. The film was met with positive reviews and had earned a worldwide gross of over $80 million against a reported $43 million budget.
