Julia Roberts To Produce And Star In Batkid Movie

With Hollywood constantly doing “reboots” and “reimaginings”, it’s no surprise that when a unique story comes along, an established star will want to grab up the rights quickly. Via Deadline, Academy Award-winning actress Julia Roberts has recently closed a deal to adapt the documentary Batkid Begins: The Wish Heard Around the World — the true story of cancer survivor Miles Scott, whose wish to be Batkid for a day touched the heart of millions.

Miles Scott was diagnosed with lymphoblastic leukemia (a cancer of the white blood cells characterized by an excess of lymphoblasts) at the age of 18 months. While going through chemotherapy, Miles became fascinated with superheroes because they were crimefighters who always won in the end. When the San Francisco Greater Bay Area chapter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation asked Miles what he wanted more than anything else, he replied, “I wish to be Batkid.”

Initially hoping for a few hundred volunteers, the list ballooned to over 12,000 by the night before the event. On November 15, 2013, the City of San Francisco was transformed into Gotham City. Making it a surprise, Miles was only told that he and his family were traveling to San Francisco to pick up his Batman costume. As Miles was watching a local news broadcast in his family’s hotel room, the segment was interrupted with a call for help by San Francisco Police Chief Greg Suhr — he needed Batkid.

Soon he was playing sidekick to an actor dressed up as Batman. In his Batkid outfit and with his little brother by his side dressed as Robin, Batman drove them in his Batmobile (a Lamborghini adorned with the Batman insignia) around “Gotham City” to foil the evil plans of the Riddler and the Penguin. Volunteers who came to help make Miles’s dream come true chanted “Batkid” while he and Batman battled the criminals.

The day was topped off with a flash mob dancing to Journey’s Don’t Stop Believin’, a key to the city presented by San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee, a video Tweet from President Barack Obama thanking him for his help, a raid jacket from the FBI, and a San Francisco Police Department cap.

The crowdfunded Batkid Begins: The Wish Heard Around the World premiered on January 24, 2015 at the Slamdance Film Festival. The documentary chronicles the day of November 15, 2013, where everyone gathered to make a child’s dream come true.

Julia Roberts plans to star in the feature adaptation of the documentary in an unknown role, and produce the film with Lisa Gillan and Maris Yates, Roberts’s partners for Red Om Films. Executive producers for the film will be Batkid Begins: The Wish Heard Around the World producer Dana Nachman, and Submarine’s Josh Braun and Dan Braun (who will be making the film under their new remake label Sub/Version).

As of this report, no release date or production timeline has been set.

More from Bam Smack Pow

Home/Movies