Bates
Kathy Bates will star in football drama “The Blind Side” opposite Sandra Bullock with John Lee Hancock directing from his own script.
Warner Bros.-based Alcon Entertainment is financing and producing. Gil Netter’s also producing along with Alcon co-toppers Broderick Johnson and Andrew Kosove while Molly Smith, Erwin Stoff and Tim Bourne will exec produce.
Project’s based on “The Blind Side: Evolution of the Game,” by Michael Lewis, and follows Michael Oher, projected to be one of the first players selected in this year’s NFL draft. He was homeless as a teen and was taken in by a well-to-do family.
Bates will play a no-nonsense tutor who is hired by the matriarch of the household, portrayed by Bullock. Bates previously worked with Alcon on “P.S. I Love You” and most recently appeared in “Revolutionary Road.”
Contact Dave McNary at
dave.mcnary@variety.com