Drugs tale next for "Stomp" producer

By Leslie Simmons

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Producer Will Packer will tackle the true story of Kemba Smith, who was granted clemency by President Clinton after serving six years on a 24-year sentence for conspiracy to sell crack cocaine.

Packer ("Stomp the Yard") picked up the life rights to Smith's story, and is looking for a writer; production is slated to begin on the untitled drama in 2009.

Smith, who was brought up by middle-class professional parents in Richmond, Va., had no criminal record or problems before attending Hampton University, where she met a man who ended up being the leader of a $4 million crack cocaine ring and one of the FBI's 15 most wanted.

Although the government acknowledged that Smith never sold drugs or took them, she was charged with conspiracy to distribute crack and was sentenced to 24 years in prison. Clinton granted her clemency before he left office in 2001.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter