Anthony Mackie, who is currently in Irish cinemas with ‘Captain America: Civil War,’ is set to portray famed attorney Johnnie Cochran in an untitled feature based on the 1981 Signal Hill police brutality case, says Deadline.
Featuring a script by David McMillan, the story follows Cochran as he takes on the case of Ron Settles, a young college student, who had been picked up for speeding in Signal Hill, in Los Angeles County. Shortly after his arrest, Settles was found hanged in his cell. The police called it a suicide, but an autopsy — performed after Cochran persuaded Settles’ family to exhume the body — showed that he had been choked to death.
Producers on the project include Robbie Brenner, The Firm’s president of film, Mackie and Jason Spire. Jeff Kwatinetz will serve as executive producer with McMillan.