Bourne Identity helmer and Precious writer to tackle Attica Prison uprising

The Bourne Identity director Doug Liman and writer Geoffrey Fletcher – who wrote the script for the Oscar nominated Precious – are teaming up to film a dramatization of the 1971 Attica state prison uprising, according to THR.

The four-day confrontation between prisoners and guards, has been described as a riot by some, and a rebellion by others. According to the report, Liman’s father, the late Arthur Liman, served as chief counsel to the New York State Special Commission on Attica Prison and co-authored the commission’s report chastising then-Gov. Nelson Rockefeller and prison authorities for their role in the incident, during which 32 inmates and 10 hostages were killed, 39 of them during an assault by state police.

Liman and Fletcher recently visited the infamous prison as part of their research for the project, which the director described on his blog as an astounding experience.

Liman previously directed the cult classics Swingers and Go, as well as Mr. & Mrs. Smith and Jumper, which he’s attached to direct a sequel to for 2011. His next project to hit theaters will be the political thriller Fair Game, which will be released this year, and stars Sean Penn and Naomi Watts as Joseph Wilson and Valerie Plame Wilson.

The Fletcher-penned Precious was only the third film in the 26 year history of The Sundance Film Festival to win both the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Awards during the 2009 edition.