By Ellen Huet and Demian Bulwa
The San Francisco Chronicle
SAN FRANCISCO — Oscar Grant’s family has reached a deal with a film company to make a movie about the man whose video-recorded killing led to street protests in Oakland and the criminal conviction of a BART police officer, family members said Tuesday.
“Fruitvale” is expected to portray the hours before Grant, 22, was shot in the back by former BART police Officer Johannes Mehserle on Jan. 1, 2009, after being pulled off a train at Oakland’s Fruitvale Station in connection with a fight.
“We want it to be a teaching tool,” said Wanda Johnson, Grant’s mother. “We really need to work together to eliminate this type of occurrence.”
Mehserle shot Grant, who was unarmed, while trying to handcuff and arrest him. Charged with murder, Mehserle testified that he had mistaken his gun for his Taser.
A jury in Los Angeles convicted him of involuntary manslaughter in 2010, and he served a two-year prison sentence.
Cephus Johnson, Grant’s uncle, said he hoped the movie would include the aftermath of the shooting, which included street protests over police brutality and extensive reforms at the BART Police Department.
“It’s really important for me to see the resurrection of Oscar,” Johnson said, “not just the burial.”
John Burris, the Oakland attorney who represented Grant’s family in civil suits against BART, said the movie would focus on Grant’s desire to make something of himself.
“I hope the story is a positive one that gives kids some inspiration that you can turn your life around,” Burris said. “On the other hand, you still have to be careful. Even if you’re doing good, bad things can still happen to you. It’s sad, but it’s a reality all African American men have to face.”
Octavia Spencer, who won an Academy Award for best supporting actress this year for her role in “The Help,” is in talks to play Grant’s mother, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Michael B. Jordan, known for his roles in “Friday Night Lights” and “The Wire,” could play Grant if the deal goes through.
Ryan Coogler is writing and directing the feature, which is being produced by Forest Whitaker’s Significant Productions, the Reporter said.
“Fruitvale” would be the first feature film for Coogler, who grew up in Oakland and Richmond and graduated from St. Mary’s College High School in Berkeley.
Copyright 2012 San Francisco Chronicle