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Posted: Tue., Mar. 13, 2007, 7:00pm PT

'Tulia' turn for Thornton

Actor reunites with Berry in Franklin pic

In what amounts to a "Monster's Ball" reunion with Halle Berry, Billy Bob Thornton will star in "Tulia," the Carl Franklin-directed drama for Lionsgate.

Pic, about an ACLU lawyer's efforts to expose a corrupt and racially motivated rash of drug convictions in rural Tulia, Texas, in 1999, is an adaptation of the Nate Blakeslee book "Tulia: Race, Cocaine, and Corruption in a Small Texas Town."

Karen Croner wrote the script, and Franklin did a rewrite.

"Tulia" is a co-production between Element Films and Lift Films. Pic is being produced by Adam Rosenfelt, Jesse Franklin, Mike Tollin, Brian Robbins, Vince Cirrincione and Berry.

Shooting begins April 30 in and around New Orleans.

Element's Sam Nazarian is exec producing with Marc Schaberg, Sharla Bridget Sumpter, Malcolm Petal, Kim Anderson and Lionsgate's Tom Ortenberg and Mike Paseornek.

Thornton sparked to the storyline and agreed to make the film as two other star vehicles are mobilizing. Several studios are in talks to finance "Peace Like a River," an adaptation of the Leif Enger novel which will be produced by Brad Pitt's Plan B and David Brown.

Thornton also is planning a reteam with "The Astronaut Farmer" writer-directors Mike and Mark Polish. Thornton will topline their next film, "Manure," which is being mobilized by Media Talent Group's Geyer Kosinski, who will produce that film and manages Thornton and the Polish siblings.


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