Viola Davis, Malcolm D. Lee In Universal Deal For Terry McMillan Novel ‘I Almost Forgot About You’

EXCLUSIVE: Universal Pictures has has won an auction and has optioned from The Jackal Group the rights to Terry McMillan’s bestseller I Almost Forgot About You,which the studio will mount a star vehicle for Oscar-winning Fences star Viola Davis, with Girls Trip helmer Malcolm D. Lee directing. The Jackal Group’s Gail Bermanand Joe Earley, who acquired McMillan’s novel back back in May, are producing alongside Davis, her husband and JuVee Productions partner Julius Tennon, and Lee and his Blackmaled Productions banner. Bidding on the package was competitive.

Ron Bass, the Oscar winning scripter of Rain Man and My Best Friend’s Wedding, will write the script with McMillan. They teamed on two other McMillan novel feature adaptations, How Stella Got Her Groove Back and Waiting To Exhale. Those films fueled strong vehicles for Angela Bassett, and Whitney Houston, Bassett, Loretta Devine and Lela Rochon. Now, Davis gets her turn.