Film News

Posted: Wed., Jan. 7, 1998, 11:00pm PT

Gregory's 'Times' moves forward

Nolte attached to star in adaptation of Davidson book

EXCLUSIVE
Gregory Prods., the Mississippi-based indie responsible for the "The Spitfire Grill," has hired song and screen scribe Alice Randall to adapt its next film proj-ect, "The Best of Enemies."

Nick Nolte is attached to star in the true story of an unlikely friendship between a Ku Klux Klan official and a black activist in Durham, N.C.

Randall has written numerous songs for a variety of country singers, including the Tricia Yearwood's hit, "XXX's and OOO's (An American Girl)." She also co-wrote and co-produced a CBS movie of the week, also titled "XXX's and OOO's."

Her feature writing credits include a screen adaptation of the Zora Neal Hurston novel "Their Eyes Were Watching God" for Oprah Winfrey's Harpo and the QDE production companies.

"Best of Enemies" is based on the nonfiction book by Osha Gray Davidson, published in 1996 by Simon & Schuster, which explores the relationship and the environment in which C.P. Ellis, a one-time Exalted Cyclops of the KKK, met and became friends with Ann Atwater, a domestic worker who became a promi-nent civil rights and political activist known in her day as "Roughhouse Annie."

Roger Courts, Gregg Homer and Jonathan Dana will produce, in association with Nolte's Kingsgate Films. Courts optioned Davidson's book in 1996, as well as the life rights on Atwater and Ellis.

Gregory Prods. is a for-profit company backed primarily by the Sacred Heart League, a religious charitable organization.

Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com

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