HOLLYWOOD, Dec. 6 (UPI) -- Billy Bob Thornton is in negotiations to head the cast of Universal Pictures' "Friday Night Lights," which will be shot near Odessa, Texas.
Brian Grazer is producing through Imagine Entertainment, and Peter Berg will direct the film, the Hollywood Reporter said.
"Lights," based on the book by H.G. Bissinger, chronicles the 1988 football season of the Odessa (Texas) Permian High Panthers, capturing the struggles and hopes of a financially troubled town that pins its dreams on the team's Friday night games.
Thornton will play the team's coach. The movie will be shot in and around Odessa.
Thornton was nominated for a best actor Oscar for 1996's "Sling Blade" and for best supporting actor for 1998's "A Simple Plan." (He won an Oscar for adapting "Sling Blade.") His numerous credits include "Monster's Ball," "The Man Who Wasn't There" and "Bandits."
