Halle and Billy Bob

Billy Bob Thornton has signed on to star in the upcoming drama TULIA, reuiniting him with his MONSTER’S BALL luvah Halle Berry. It hasn’t been confirmed but it’s looking like Thorton will take a villianous role in the film about a female attorney looking to overturn the convictions of a number of innocent black men in Texas. Berry had been trying to get the project off the ground for years and only recently had some success with Lionsgate (where MONSTER’S BALL found a home) and director Carl Franklin (DEVIL IN A BLUE DRESS). The film is also being produced by the guys behind NORBIT and WILD HOGS (Mike Tollin and Brian Robbins) though you probably won’t see that in the trailer. Thornton can be seen this spring in MR. WOODCOCK (in yet another extension of his BAD SANTA persona) and will reteam with the Polish brothers (THE ASTRONAUT FARMER) on their next film after TULIA wraps. Filming on TULIA is expected to begin on April 30 in New Orleans.