News > Showtime and Whitaker to Produce Show on American Gangster Character
November 5, 2007
Written by David Morgan
Forest Whitaker is teaming up with Showtime to produce a series about famed heroin dealer Leroy "Nicky" Barnes, the character played by Cuba Gooding Jr in Ridley Scott's American Gangster. According to , Gooding will not be reprising the role, and in fact the series is more based on Marc Levin's recent documentary Mr. Untouchable (which will also be the title of the series). Levin will also serve as an executive producer with Whitaker. Variety:
Series will tell the story of how Barnes built a drug empire in the 1970s that rivaled that of the Italian Mafia. It will show how he rose to great heights, but with his success coming at the expense of his Harlem community. Skein will also detail the government's war on drugs and how it failed for years to bring Barnes down.
There's some speculation but no confirmation (at least not from Variety) that Whitaker will be playing the role. To me, though he's a fantastic actor, he seems a bit too old, heavy, and unflashy for the part.
