Charles S. Dutton has joined Vivica A. Fox, David Banner and Pooch Hall in the feature drama "Carter High," which centers on the 1988 Carter High Cowboys, a formidable high school football team in Texas that overcame adversity to win the Texas State Championship. However, it is what happened after their championship season that rocked the world of sport. 9 of the 18 Division 1 scholarship players went on to commit a string of robberies, and all were apprehended before the start of their freshman college seasons, leading to national headlines, courtroom drama and eventual prison sentences. Their state title was stripped in January 1991, the trophy returned, the record book revised, and a best-seller titled "Friday Night Lights" was born.
Dutton will play the coach of the 1988 Carter High Cowboys. Vivica Fox plays his wife.
Reginald C Hayes also has joined the cast.
In his 1990 best-seller, "Friday Night Lights," author H.G. Bissinger chronicled Odessa Permian’s 1988 season, which culminated in a 14-9 state semifinal loss to Carter High – a book that some Carter players take little issue with, specifically the 2004 movie adaptation, which they say depicts them as dirty-playing thugs.
The 1988 Carter team was stocked with talent, including future 5-time Pro Bowl linebacker Jessie Armstead. Their star player, Gary Edwards, was among those sentenced to prison for 16 years. He was paroled in 1993.
Former Carter High School football player Arthur Muhammad is directing the film from his own script, with principal photography already underway in Dallas.
Former Dallas Cowboy Greg Ellis is executive producing the film, with Play Now Enterprise and Tycor International Film Company, producing.
The movie is scheduled for a 2015 release.
