Forest Whitaker in Talks to Direct, Star in Film Adaptation of THE SHACK

Forest Whitaker may soon be heading to THE SHACK.

According to Deadline, Whitaker is in talks to direct and co-star in Summit Entertainment's big screen adaptation of William Paul Young's bestseller THE SHACK.

Summit has enlisted John Fusco to adapt the book, which was published in 2007 out of a garage by Brad Cummings and Wayne Jacobson. Since its original release, THE SHACK has Gone on to sell over 18 million copies, and has been on The New York Times Bestseller List for over 180 weeks. Cummings will produce alongside Gill Netter of Netter Productions.

THE SHACK is officially described as:

"Mackenzie Allen Phillips's youngest daughter, Missy, has been abducted during a family vacation, and Evidence that she may have been brutally murdered is found in an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness. Four years later, in this midst of his great sadness, Mack receives a suspicious note, apparently from God, inviting him back to that shack for a weekend. Against his better judgment he arrives at the shack on wintry afternoon and walks back into his darkest nightmare. What he finds there will change his life forever."

Whitaker just wrapped a year led by the success of "Lee Daniels' The Butler,'" in which he delivered a moving portrayal of Cecil Gaines, a butler at the White House through eight administrations and 34 years, as well as the critically acclaimed "Fruitvale Station," on which he served as a producer. Both films garnered significant praise, including Image Award nods for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture and Outstanding Independent Motion Picture, bringing Mr. Whitaker's total number of Image Award nominations to seven, including a win for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture in 2007 for his turn as Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in "The Last King of Scotland" (2006).

Whitaker is not only a distinguished actor and filmmaker, but a humanist as well. He is a committed citizen of the world who dedicated most of his time over the past decade to extensive humanitarian work. Mr. Whitaker was designated in 2011 by UNESCO as their Goodwill Ambassador for Peace and Reconciliation. Mr. Whitaker is the Founder and CEO of The Whitaker Peace and Development Initiative as well as the Chairman of the International Institute for Peace. In recognition of his work towards global peace building, both organizations work jointly to help societies affected by destructive conflicts and gang violence to transform into safer and more productive communities. Whitaker strongly believes that peace and prosperity cannot be attained by communities and nations without heeding the voices of our diverse and vibrant youth. Youth have always taken a central part in his humanitarian work; he has developed a Youth Peacemaker Network in South Sudan, Uganda and Mexico. He has shown a strong commitment to provide educational tools and better living conditions to vulnerable youth experiencing The Aftermath of violence, war and trauma. As a member of the President's Committee of Arts and Humanities, Forest also works closely with Findley Elementary School in Des Moines, Iowa to demonstrate to the students the limitless power of the arts to express their voices and creative energies. Through his production company, Significant Productions and JuntoBox Films, he is constantly aiming at supporting this creativity, as he did recently when he produced "Fruitvale Station," a movie directed by the talented Ryan Coogler who was only 26 years old when he first contacted Forest Whitaker.

Photo by Sara De Boer / Retna Ltd.

To post a comment, you must register and login.