Cuba Gooding Jr. to Bring His Gifted Hands to TNT

Cuba Gooding Jr. has been tapped to star in TNT's upcoming original movie, Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story. Gooding will play Dr. Ben Carson, whose life story took him from a tough, inner-city childhood to become the director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins University Hospital. The new TV movie is based on Carson's memoir, which recounts his life from his origins in Detroit, through medical school and ultimately to his professional success. The role marks a new turn for Gooding, who most recently played a flamboyant drug dealer in American Gangster. Playing Carson may allow Gooding Jr. to flex some different acting muscles than we've seen before. Does the role sound like a healthy fit, or the wrong diagnosis for the new program? — Anna Dimond

TV GuideNews Aug. 27, 2008 at 5:51 p.m. PT