Sterling K Brown to lead Fox Searchlight's 'The Fence'

Actor Sterling K Brown is in talks to star in Fox Searchlights's biopic "The Fence".

Peter Nicks is on board to direct, reported Variety.

Based on the book by award-winning Boston Globe journalist Dick Lehrm, "The Fence" follows the true story of Michael Cox, an African-American undercover cop who is mistaken for a suspect and brutally beaten by his own force following one of the largest police chases in Boston history.

As Cox seeks justice for what happened, he finds himself on the other side of the "blue wall of silence" as the Boston Police Department aggressively covers it up.

George Pelecanos and Dennis Lehane, who originally brought the book to HBO before it landed at Searchlight, teamed up to adapt the script.

While a production start date has not yet been officially finalised, it would likely happen when Brown is on a break from his hit NBC show "This Is Us" early next year.