Gordon Cooney Does Not Look Like Matt Damon
Touchstone Pictures is going to do a movie about a true story of pro bono work done by a couple Philadelphia lawyers, J. Gordon Cooney Jr.and Michael L. Banks, of the Morgan Lewis firm. Here’s a bit from the Daily News report:
Between 1988 and 2003, Banks, 49, and Cooney, 46, gave pro bono [...]
Touchstone Pictures is going to do a movie about a true story of pro bono work done by a couple Philadelphia lawyers, J. Gordon Cooney Jr.and Michael L. Banks, of the Morgan Lewis firm. Here’s a bit from the Daily News report:
Between 1988 and 2003, Banks, 49, and Cooney, 46, gave pro bono counsel to John Thompson, a New Orleans man wrongly convicted of a 1985 murder and an unrelated carjacking. After the lawyers uncovered evidence to exonerate Thompson, a Louisiana jury found him not guilty, and in May 2003, he was released after being imprisoned for 18 years.
Banks told us yesterday he’s excited to be played by Affleck.
Cooney, who looks more like Damon than Banks does Affleck, says he always hoped as a lawyer he’d be able to make a difference, but never expected to be portrayed in a motion picture.
The Inquirer has the story, too. But the important thing is that Gordon Cooney looks nothing like Matt Damon. Really he doesn’t. But Michael Banks may be more on target:
Asked how he felt about Affleck’s playing him, Banks, 49, quipped: “I guess Wilfred Brimley’s dead.” (Actually, he isn’t.)
To be serious, I’ve known about the story of John Thompson for a couple years now, and there’s been talk in the past about getting the story to the screen. I’m surprised it has taken so long. This story is about legal heros, and Cooney and Banks rank as such. Even if Gordon Cooney doesn’t look like Matt Damon.
Nope, doesn’t look a thing like him. You’re right, doc. As usual. I wonder if Angelina Jolie will play me in MY movie.
Now you’re talking! The cheekbones you and Angelina share are perfect, sis.
[...] What the heck. Go read and knock yourself out. We all know Republicans think accusation = guilt, except when the accusation involves rape. Here on ASZ we’ve been backing pro bono representation for a long time. . . especially when if involves Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. The case upon which the movie will be based involves over a million dollars of pro bono work, or so my sources tell me. And John Thompson was innocent, as many of these detainees may be. There’s the justification for pro bono work: competent legal representation just may help reveal innocence. Alas, the Bushies don’t want that one little bit. SpinDentist | Monday, January 15th, 2007 [...]
[...] The Boston College School of Law Alumni Association in Philadelphia honors people in the law whose work approaches the ideals Father Drinan stood for, and this year’s award was given to Gordon Cooney and Michael Banks for their defense of John Thompson, a man in New Orleans wrongly convicted of murder. They actually saved Thompson from death row, a place Thompson found himself after the corrupt dealings of the District Attorney who brought the carges against Thompson, Harry Connick, Sr. Hey folks, it is an interesting story, and you can read it here, though this is not the first time we’ve talked about it here at ASZ. . . Affleck and Damon will be playing Cooney and Banks in the movie, as we noted here nearly a year ago. I am proud to have met the originals, Cooney and Banks, not the actors who will play them. SpinDentist | Monday, January 29th, 2007 [...]
[...] Thompson was later found innocent, as has been referred to on this blog before. The lawsuit brought against the procesutors in the case has now ended. Sure, there will be [...]