Isaiah Washington has signed on to play the lead role in Blue Caprice, a thriller about the sniper attacks that haunted the Washington, D.C., area in 2002. The former Grey’s Anatomy actor will play John Allen Williams, who went on a shooting spree with a young accomplice, Lee Boyd Malvo. Williams, who joined the Nation of Islam, changed his surname to Muhammad years prior to those horrific events.

After a manhunt, Williams was finally caught by police after instructing the public to look for a former police car. Williams was eventually put on trial, convicted and executed in 2009.

Alexandre Moors will reportedly direct the project, with Isen Robbins and Aimee Schoof of Intrinsic Value Films producing the project along with Will Rowbotham of Prolific Entertainment. Shooting for Blue Caprice will start next month in New York.

(Photo: Mike Coppola/GettyImages)