Oscar Grant Shooting Set To Become Feature Film
OAKLAND (CBS 5) - Hollywood filmmakers plan to bring the shooting death of Bay Area Rapid Transit passenger Oscar Grant on the Fruitvale Station platform to the big screen, with some well-known actors reportedly signing on for the film.
Oscar Grant's killing in the early morning hours of New Year's Day 2009 by former BART officer Johannes Mehserle sparked a series of protests and a highly-publicized trial for the ex-cop. The shooting was captured on cellphone video by other BART riders.
Mehserle has repeatedly claimed that he meant to use his Taser, not his gun, when he shot the 22-year-old Hayward man.
Grant's Uncle, Cephus Johnson, said the filmmakers have been in talks with the family for months.
"There were discussions about how it should look, the direction it should go, what's the message that should be conveyed, what the world should know," said Johnson, who said he thinks the film can help create positive change from Grant's death.
Filming for the movie about the hours leading up to Grant's death is expected to begin in July. The feature will reportedly star recent Academy Award winner Octavia Spencer as Grant's mother, Wanda Johnson.
Michael B. Jordan, who has appeared on television programs including "Friday Night Lights" and "Parenthood," is apparently negotiating the lead role of Oscar Grant.
There is no word yet on who might play Mehserle in the Film. He was sentenced to two years in prison for involuntary manslaughter and has since been released.
Oakland native Ryan Coogler is writing and directing the feature. The project's current title is 'Fruitvale,' named after the station where the shooting took place.
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