Academy Award winner Forest Whitaker Set To Produce
HBO has acquired the pilot "Fat Sells" co-created by 25/7 Productions honcho Dave Broome ("The Biggest Loser") and writer Gren Wells. Academy Award winner Forest Whitaker ("The Last King of Scotland") will be an executive producer along with Broome on this one-hour family drama set in the world of the $46 billion herbal supplement weight loss industry. Gren Wells, who also has "Earthbound" set up at The Film Department and "Southern Comfort" at Walt Disney Studios, will pen the pilot and serve as co-executive producer.
"In a culture so obsessed with looks and weight, the idea of "Fat Sells" – exploring image, self-esteem and power — was not only culturally important but very timely. It is a billion dollar industry that many people know nothing about," says Whitaker.
"Everyone is looking for that Magic Pill to change their lives … We're taking a world not regulated by the FDA and breaking it wide open," says Broome.
Wells says of the project, "This is an incredible arena to explore the issues of weight in a society that's obsessed with being thin."
