Oscar©-winner Louis Gossett Jr. is stepping into the role of Judge George Taylor in the timely, reality-inspired feature film FOSTER BOY, currently in production. He replaces James Earl Jones, who became unavailable due to a scheduling conflict with another project. Gossett began work on Dec. 6. Matthew Modine and newcomer Shane Paul McGhie star in Foster Boy, the truth-based legal drama about a high-powered litigator who takes on the case of a disadvantaged African-American young man. Overcoming their differences and mutual distrust, Modine's Michael Trainer and McGhie's Jamal Randolph uncover the abuses of the for-profit foster care system, a real-world reality that inspired the film.
"We're fortunate to work with an exceptional actor like Louis Gossett Jr. in this crucial role," Foster Boy producer-screenwriter Jay Paul Deratany said. Deratany based the film on his experiences as a litigator who has tried and won many cases on behalf of foster children.
Gossett is just the latest talent to join the cast. Julie Benz ("Dexter," "Training Day") is playing the duplicitous Pamela Dupree; Amy Brenneman ("Chasing Amy" "The Leftovers") is Michael's ex-wife Kim; Greg Germann ("Ally McBeal," "Once Upon a Time") plays Simon Davis, CEO of the for-profit foster care company; Evan Handler ("Sex and the City," "Californication") plays Samuel Collins, the high-powered lawyer representing Davis' company; Michael Beach ("Third Watch," "Patriots Day") plays Jamal's foster father Bill Randolph and Jordan Belfi ("Entourage," "Grey's Anatomy") plays Jeff, Michael's associate who may have competing motives. Fresh faces in the cast include Lex Scott Davis, Michael's idealistic young associate Keisha; and Krystian Lyttle, who plays the young Jamal.
"We have a remarkable and diverse cast and crew, all of whom share our commitment to right the injustices in the foster care system, while also producing a compelling and entertaining film," producer Peter Samuelson said. Samuelson is a film producer and social justice activist who is founder/president of First Star and First Star Academies, non-profit organizations that advocate on behalf of foster children.
Foster Boy is directed by Youssef Delara (Filly Brown, The Bounce Back, English as a Second Language) and is produced by Deratany, Samuelson, Anne-Marie Mackay (The Last Word, The Girl from Nagasaki, Always Outnumbered) and Andrew Sugerman (Conviction, Shop Girl, Premonition). John Schimmel, Thom and Matt Lipari, Max Adler and Danny Mooney serve as Executive Producers. Foster Boy has been entirely financed by equity investment.
The production is partnered with nationally recognized charities Children's Rights of New York, the Children's Advocacy Institute at the University of San Diego, and First Star of Los Angeles, as expert advisers on the story.
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