Anthony Mackie is set to play real-life legal superhero Johnnie Cochran in a new film based on a police brutality case.
The 37-year-old actor – who reprises his role as Falcon in ‘Captain America: Civil War’ – will co-produce and star in an as-yet untitled film about Johnnie’s dogged pursuit of justice in the 1981 ‘Signal Hill’ police brutality case, according to Deadline.
The script has been written by David McMillan and follows the story of the late American lawyer Cochran.
During his career, Cochran represented high-profile celebrity clients such as O.J Simpson, Michael Jackson and Jim Brown, but this film will focus on his work in the landmark ‘Signal Hill’ case which led to his rise to fame as an advocate for African/Americans being victims in police brutality cases.
The ‘Sugar Hill’ case involved Cochran’s representation of the family of California State Long Beach football player Ron Settles, who was arrested for speeding in Signal Hill in Los Angeles.
He was found hanged in his police cell shortly after his arrest.
At the time, police said it was suicide, but an autopsy – performed after Johnnie persuaded Mr. Settle’s family to exhume the body – showed Mr. Settles had been choked to death.
As a result, the family was awarded $760,000 in a civil suit, the police chief resigned, and reforms were mandated.
Johnnie passed away in 2005, aged 67.
The film’s scriptwriter McMillan is a former writer on American comedy series ‘Lucifer’.
The film which is backed by The Firm, will see Jason Spire co-produce alongside Robbie Brenner – who co-produced ‘Haven’ with him – and they will be joined by producer Kevin McKeon and executive producers Jeff Kwatinetz and David McMillan.
The story of Johnnie Cochran was elevated with the FX series ‘The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story’.
Away from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Mackie stars as Martin Luther King Jr. alongside Bryan Cranston’s Lyndon Baines Johnson in ‘All The Way’ – which premieres on May 21 on HBO.
Mackie is also working on a project about American Olympic sprinter Jesse Owens.
Anthony Mackie to play Johnnie Cochran
