Posted Oct. 29, 2007 -- "American Gangster" co-star Cuba Gooding Jr. has signed to star in John Carter's action thriller The Way of War, playing a paramilitary operative who goes on a rampage after discovering a war conspiracy, reports The Hollywood Reporter.

With his intensity and ability to take a character to the edge, the part is tailor-made for Cuba, and we're excited to have him aboard," says Nick Thurlow, one of three executive producers on the project. "John Carter and Scott Schafer have crafted a political thriller with deep resonance for our times.

Gooding, Jr. stars as Nicky Barnes in "American Gangster" in theatres on Friday.

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Peebles Brings Together "The Uniter"

Mario Van Peebles has signed on to direct his sci-fi screenplay "The Uniter," produced by  Don Kushner and Brad Wyman ("Monster"), reports Variety. "The Uniter" follows the journey of a political fugitive who escapes from the future back to the present to teach a 13-year-old how to use his powers to unite the warring factions of the world before it's too late for planet Earth.

Van Peebles has been developing the story for 6 years, and plans to start shooting in January. Inspiration for the tale came from the combo of his travels in India and the mythology of the Aztec calendar terminating in 2012.

The director is also helming via his MVP Films and the Twenty-First Century Foundation the documentary "Bring Your A Game," on the educational crisis in America and its relationship to the penal system. He also recently helmed two episodes of FX's "Damages.