In 2003, All-American high school athlete Brian Banks was on his way to the University of Southern California on a full football scholarship. But all that changed when his classmate Wanetta Gibson accused him of rape.
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Banks, who was 16 at the time, followed his attorneyโs ill-advised counsel and pleaded โno contestโ to forcible rape, and ended up serving six years in jail for the alleged crime. During Banksโ imprisonment, Gibson successfully sued the Long Beach, Calif., school district for $1.5 million for not providing adequate security, which she stated could have prevented her rape.
ย After Banks was released, Gibson added Banks as a friend on Facebook, and eventually confessed to him that she had lied about being raped. Gibson offered to clear Banksโ name, but didnโt want to have to confess to the police in fear of having to return the settlement money. Gibson later recanted her rape accusations and Banks was exonerated. Gibson was also ordered to pay the school district more than $2 million, which included the original settlement and attorney fees.
After Banksโ conviction was overturned, he was able to live out his dreams of playing professional football. He played in the UFL and in four pre-season Atlanta Falcon games in 2013.
Now Banksโ life story is heading to the big screen.
According to Deadline, Lee Daniels has signed on to direct The Brian Banks Story.
โLee is a filmmaker who looks at challenging circumstances with honesty, compassion and hope,โ said Amy Baer, the filmโs producer. โHe has an emotional connection to Brianโs story that Iโm certain will result in a powerful and redemptive film.โ
Banks, whoโs currently working with Californiaโs Innocence Project, is excited about having his story told.
โAll I ever wanted was to prove my innocence. Telling my story in the form of a feature film is beyond my wildest dreams. Having Lee Daniels come on board to direct the film is so exciting and such an honor,โ Banks stated.
The Brian Banks Story is still in pre-production and a release date has not been set.ย
Yesha Callahan is editor of The Grapevine and a staff writer atย The Root.ย Follow her onย Twitter.
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