A “Monster’s Ball” Reunion
The stars of “Monster’s Ball” are reuniting on another edgy drama, this time based on a shocking real life event. “Tulia” is the title of the movie and the same name of a small town in Texas which saw controversy in 1999 when police arrested 40 black men on suspicion of drug possession and selling narcotics. Facing heavy prison time if found guilty, several of the men pled guilty and were convicted on a lesser charge while those that claimed innocence were found guilty in court all on the word of one undercover officer that claimed to have purchased the drugs from them even though no evidence was ever presented. The case made headlines and drew charges of racial discrimination and eventually made of the convictions were overturned but only after several years had passed with the wrongly convicted men in prison.
Halle Berry will play the star in the film based on the Tulia story, an ACLU lawyer trying to expose the corruption and prove the innocence of the people accused of being drug dealers. Billy Bob Thornton has also agreed to star in the movie in an unspecified capacity, possibly as the unjust police officer that set in motion the events that took place in Tulia. The film will start shooting at the end of April in New Orleans under the direction of Carl Franklin, the man that also directed Thornton in “One False Move“.