Billy Porter will play the role of author and civil rights activist James Baldwin in an upcoming biopic. According to Variety, he will also co-write the untitled film with Dan McCabe. It is an adaptation of the 1994 book James Baldwin: A Biography by David Leeming.

Porter revealed that it is his career-long dream to tell the story of Baldwin. He is known for his writings like “Go Tell It on the Mountain,” “Notes of a Native Son” and “If Beale Street Could Talk.” That apart, Baldwin also fought for racial justice in the U.S. civil rights movement. 

The film will be executive produced by Byron Allen’s Allen Media Group Motion Pictures with Carolyn Folks, Jennifer Lucas, Matthew Signer and Chris Charalambous. Porter also serves as the executive producer with DJ Gugenheim.