MUMBAI: Academy Award-winning director Barry Levinson will be directing Brother Jack for Columbia Pictures.

Brother Jack, based on the life of human rights activist Jack Healey, is the coming of age story of an idealist who leaves the priesthood for a life on the streets and successfully wages a one man war to elevate the issue of human rights. The screenplay is being written by Harley Peyton, with a current rewrite by Kelly Masterson. The film will be produced by Mosaic and Jack Healey.

Levinson most recently directed and executive produced You Don’t Know Jack, a biopic of Dr. Jack Kevorkian, for HBO, which earned 15 Emmy nominations this morning, including Outstanding Made for Television Movie.

Columbia Pictures president Doug Belgrad said, “Barry Levinson is one of the industry’s most thoughtful, accomplished and acclaimed directors. His work chronicling the life of Dr. Jack Kevorkian was brilliant and we think his take on how one social activist can influence a nation will be equally engaging and compelling.”

Brother Jack will be overseen at Columbia by Belgrad and Jonathan Kadin. David Householter will oversee on behalf of Mosaic along with George Gatins.