Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan Reunite for Ta-Nehisi Coates-Penned ‘Wrong Answer’

By Sameer Rao Jun 08, 2017

Filmmaker Ryan Coogler‘s fourth film with actor Michael B. Jordan will focus on a 2006 incident that revealed just how desperate the No Child Left Behind Act made some educators.

Variety reported yesterday (June 7) that the "Fruitvale Station," "Creed" and "Black Panther" director and star will partner with best-selling writer Ta-Nehisi Coates for "Wrong Answer." Coates’ script will be based on The New Yorker’s 2014 article of the same name, in which journalist Rachel Aviv explores how Atlanta Public Schools leadership—threatened by No Child Left Behind’s strict provisions that tied standardized test performance to necessary school resources—allowed widespread cheating in district schools. A 2009 Atlanta Journal-Constitution investigation uncovered cheating on state standardized tests, and 11 teachers were indicted on racketeering charges.

Jordan will star as Damany Lewis, a teacher at the predominantly Black Parks Middle School who lost his job as a result of the scandal. The real Lewis and Aviv will serve as consultants for the film, which Coogler will direct and produce through New Regency Productions and Plan B. Variety did not report an expected premiere date.