One of Sean Connery's last films before his retirement is getting a TV reboot on NBC. FINDING FORRESTER, which co-starred Rob Brown in his first major film role, is getting the television adaptation treatment courtesy of The Chi co-executive producers TJ Brady and Rasheed Newson.
Director Tim Story and Stephen Curry, through his Unanimous Media banner, are also involved with the project alongside Sony Pictures television. Brady and Newson will also be taking on writing duties while Story is on board to direct. The television version will be different from the film, especially in regards to Sean Connery's mentor character, which will include a gender swap. According to "Deadline", the series will examine "the cost of success and the price of redemption through the unique bond between two gifted black writers: A homeless 16-year-old orphan who leverages his basketball skills to hustle his way into an ultra-conservative elite boarding school, and the other a reclusive lesbian author whose career was ruined by a public scandal."
FINDING FORRESTER was released in 2000 and was helmed by Gus Van Sant. The film followed a black teenager named Jamal (Rob Brown) as he attends a private high school. Jamal eventually strikes up a friendship with a reclusive writer named William Forrester (Sean Connery) and he comes to discover his own passion for writing along with coming to terms with his identity. The movie also starred Anna Paquin, F. Murray Abraham, Busta Rhymes, and Charles Bernstein. FINDING FORRESTER was well-received by critics, earning a 74% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes and the film became a modest hit, grossing $51.8 million domestically and $80 million worldwide.
The news of the TV reboot comes very soon after Connery passed away just last month at the age of 90. Connery had been retired from acting for many years at the time of his death and 2003's THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN would be his final performance in a live-action movie. FINDING FORRESTER arrived three years before that film and the veteran actor was preparing for the end of his acting career even as he made what would be his penultimate live-action performance. FINDING FORRESTER is still remembered fondly 20 years later so it will be interesting to see what they do with the television reboot.
Will YOU be watching FINDING FORRESTER on NBC?