Sean Whalen (Wes Craven’s The People Under the Stairs, Twister) and Richard Tyson (Black Hawk Down, There's Something About Mary), have joined the real life domestic abuse drama Finding Nicole, based on the Chris Cuomo-fronted CNN doc Inside Evil – Until Death Do Us Part. This film chronicles the life of domestic abuse survivor and advocate for domestic violence awareness Nicole Beverly. This film will shoot soon in Michigan.
This film is about Nicole, played by Kaiti Wallen (Tale of Tails) whose journey of falling in love, getting married and starting a family with Warren played by Shomari Giles, (Good Thief), radically changes as signs start to emerge of domestic violence and abuse. Harley Wallen (Investigation Discovery's Homicide Hunter: Lt. Joe Kenda) will direct as he shares his own dealings of growing up in a household with domestic violence. “This hits very close to home as I grew up similar to Nicole’s sons in the middle of it all, you are forced to grow up fast and to try and figure out how to stay out of the way, or when to try and intervene and as a child that’s simply not something we’re equipped to do well.” Whalen will be playing Cameron, the defense attorney for Warren who pushed the envelope in the case and Tyson will be playing Judge Carter who has the task of deciphering the truth.
The script is written by Geoffrey Calhoun from police reports as well as journals and testimony of Beverly as well as the story structure that Wallen wanted. “I want this to really showcase how difficult it is to leave, how dangerous it often gets and to shine a light on something we sweep under the rug even though statistically it’s an overwhelming epidemic!” Said Wallen
The project is produced by Harley and Kaiti Wallen, Nicole Beverly herself, Joseph K. Williamson, Joseph Victor and Jeffrey Berry.
Production company Painted Creek Productions is producing. The Williamson Management Company represents the Wallen couple and their legal counsel is Bill Dobreff of Dobreff & Dobreff Law. Shawntay Dalon (Detroiters), Vida Ghaffari (The Mindy Project), Blanca Blanco (Betrayed), Michael Alexander (Ash and Bone) , Pierre Aristide and Debra Lamb round out the cast.
Photos courtesy of Bob Delgadillo/WENN.