After playing aviator Amelia Earhart, Swank will play Betty Ann Waters in the film of the same name.
Betty Ann Waters was a single mother who spent 12 years of her life studying to become a lawyer. She desperately wanted to represent her brother, who had been unjustly accused of murder, and completed a law degree while juggling motherhood and working as a waitress.
In 1995, she was finally able to begin working on her brother’s case. He was freed in 2001 when she proved that he was innocent.
Filming is set to begin in January in Michigan.
Swank’s upcoming film, Amelia, opens in theatres on October 23, 2009.