Forest Whitaker might play Al Collins, basketball coach for John Ehret High in Marrero, Louisiana, who led his Patriots to the state championship a year after Katrina ravaged the school and displaced many of its students. Collins’ team consisted of 10 players who attended five different schools before the disaster. The fact-based drama becomes the first film to firm up a start date as a direct result of an interim agreement made between the WGA and an independent studio.

“Patriots” marks a reteam for Whitaker, TWC and screenwriter Robert Eisele, who wrote “The Great Debaters,” whom I interviewed last week before he left for the LA Critics Awards, and also scripted “Patriots.” In my interview with Eisele, he spoke enthusiastic about “Patriots” and how it centers around the Katrina disaster. He did extensive research on the fact-based drama, going to Louisiana and interviewing actual surviors. The hope is to release “Patriots” around Thanksgiving, replicating the release strategy used on the Denzel Washington helmed/starred “The Great Debaters.”

Variety.com has more information about the film.