Whitaker sides with "Debaters"

By Tatiana Siegel and Borys Kit

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Forest Whitaker is in negotiations to join fellow Oscar laureate Denzel Washington in the period drama "The Great Debaters."

Washington also is on board to direct the Weinstein Co. project, which chronicles the true story of professor Melvin B. Tolson (Washington), who formed a debate team at a small black college in the 1930s. The team went on to beat Harvard in the national debate championships. Whitaker will play the father of one of the debaters and a rival to Washington's character.

Oprah Winfrey is one of the producers. The film is scheduled to begin shooting in mid-May in Louisiana.

Whitaker, who won the best actor Oscar for his role as Idi Amin in "The Last King of Scotland," is in final negotiations to reteam with that film's distributor, Fox Searchlight, for "The Night Watchman."

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter