Julia Roberts gets on ‘Batkid’ bandwagon

One of the big stories to come out of Park City, Utah, this weekend was the news Julia Roberts has acquired remake rights to “Batkid Begins: The Wish Heard Around the World.” The documentary had its world premiere Saturday at the Slamdance Film Festival, which occurs simultaneously with the Sundance Film Festival. The film, directed by Dana Nachman, showcases the story of Miles Scott, the then-5-year-old leukemia patient from San Francisco who captured world attention as the Make-A-Wish Foundation granted his desire to team up with Batman to fight crime in Gotham City.

Roberts, along with her partners Lisa Gillan and Marisa Yeres Gill, plus Nachman herself, will create a feature film in which the Oscar winner will also star. Young Miles’ adventure became a citywide event in San Francisco, with an estimated 25,000 people turning out to cheer him on — joined by some 2 billion people who followed it all via social media.

In a statement, Nachman said, “It’s thrilling to me that Ms. Roberts and her team watched our film and were so moved by it that they want to dedicate their time and creative capital to make sure the widest audience possible will know and love Miles’ story and the spirit of this intimate special event that went global, as much as we do.”