And So It Begins

Julia Roberts Set to Produce and Star in Batkid Movie

Batkid Begins tells the tale of real-life superhero, Miles Scott
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Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images; Ramin Talaie/Getty Images

Move over, Marvel, Julia Roberts wants to tell the world about a real superhero.

Every day it seems that another A-list celebrity has signed on to play a superhero and the theaters are filled with the exploits of The Avengers, Captain America, Black Panther, and Ant-Man. Now comes news that Roberts has signed on to star in the next Batman adventure, but instead of donning a mask, she will be helping to bring the story of a real-life, pint-sized hero to the screen, according to Deadline.

Roberts will produce and star in Batkid Begins, which tells the story of Miles Scott the childhood leukemia survivor who became Batkid for a day, thanks to the Make-A-Wish foundation, thousands of volunteers, and even President Obama.

The film will document the transformation of San Francisco into Gotham City as Scott, dressed like his favorite Caped Crusader, drove around the city in the Batmobile saving Gotham, and helping to bring down the evil Penguin and save the San Francisco Giants’ mascot. After the mini-hero completed his missions, the day-long celebration culminated with Scott receiving the key to the city from Mayor Ed Lee.

Scott’s wish captivated the city and the world as millions followed Batkid’s heroic exploits on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram and inspired a crowd-funded documentary, called Batkid Begins: The Wish Heard Around the World. (Watch the trailer here.)

Roberts and her production company will adapt that documentary by filmmaker Dana Nachman, which is premiering at the [Slamdance Film Festival] (http://showcase.slamdance.com/Film-Schedule) in Utah. The film not only chronicles the day that Scott’s wish became a reality, but also documents the personal side of his story and struggles with leukemia. Scott is currently in remission.