Peter Nicks To Direct ‘The Fence’ At Fox Searchlight; Signs With CAA

EXCLUSIVE: Peter Nicks is set to direct an adaptation of The Fence: A Police Cover-Up Along Boston’s Racial Divide for Fox Searchlight. The project, which is based on the book by journalist Dick Lehr (Black Mass) recounts the true story of Michael Cox, an African American plainclothes officer who is mistakenly beaten during a police chase and then finds himself on the other side of the “blue wall of silence” as the Boston Police Department covers it up.

The book was adapted for the big screen by George Pelecanos and Dennis Lehane. Jim Kohlberg and Luke Parker Bowles of Story Mining & Supply Co. and Jeffrey Sharp of Sharp Independent are producing the project. Lehane, Pelecanos and Siegfried Harris are executive producers.

Nicks, who has also just signed with CAA, was awarded this year’s Sundance Best Director prize for his documentary The Force which will be released in theaters next month. The Force is the second in a trilogy of docs exploring the interconnected narratives of health care, criminal justice and education in Oakland, CA. The first was the critically acclaimed The Waiting Room.

Nicks is also an Emmy Award-winner for his work as a co-producer and editor on the PBS series America’s Investigative Reports. He continues to be represented by Cinetic Media and Sloss Law.