Forrest Whitaker has agreed to play former Secretary of State Colin Powell in the upcoming biopic titled “Powell.”
Fresh off his role in “Lee Daniel’s The Butler,” Whitaker is going back to the White House to play Powell during the time leading up to the Iraq War.
The screenplay was written by Ed Whitworth with a storyline based on the true story of Colin Powell questioning the Bush administration prior to his United Nations presentation where he made the case for going to war with Iraq.
In addition to portraying Powell, Whitaker is considering the role of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in the biopic, “Memphis,” from director Paul Greengrass (The Bourne Ultimatum).
Whitaker won an Oscar for his portrayal of Ugandan President Idi Amin and is a Best Actor contender for the 2014 Academy Awards for his performance as Cecil Gaines in “Lee Daniel’s The Butler.”
