Antoine Fuqua (The Equalizer) will direct the upcoming drama The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace, based on the compelling true story of a young African-American man who worked his way out of the slums to graduate from Yale University, only to be killed in an apparent drug-related shooting.

The film will be an adaptation of a book by Peace’s college roommate Jeff Hobbs. Published last month, The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace: A Brilliant Young Man Who Left Newark for the Ivy League was anxiously circled by a number of enthusiastic filmmakers interested in purchasing its rights. IM Global optioned the book for Fuqua Films. Hobbs previously authored the 2008 novel The Tourists, which also centers on Yale classmates.

Following such hits as Olympus Has Fallen and The Equalizer, Fuqua is one of the hottest directors around right now. His next film, the recently completed boxing drama Southpaw, starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Rachel McAdams, could easily be another winner.

Robert Peace is a relevant and profound tale. It shows how the human spirit can triumph, while reminding people that sometimes even the most inspiring stories don’t have happy endings.