Washington, August 28 (ANI): American director George Lucas has roped in John Ridley to write "Red Tails," a WWII action adventure about the Tuskegee Airmen.

Based on a story by Lucas, the film is about a group of young pilots as they beat racism to form the Tuskegee Airmen, a notable group of fliers who broke the aviation colour barrier to become the first African-American fighter pilots in U.S. military history.

Lucas, who is financing and exec producing the film, has had a craze for the Tuskegee Airmen, whose planes were well known by the red-painted tails that give the film its title.

The Star Wars helmer hired Ridley after reading "L.A. Riots," the Universal/Imagine drama Ridley just wrote for director Spike Lee.

Ridley has set his work on "Red Tails" in motion after meeting with the surviving pilots at a convention in Texas.

"These were guys who had to figure everything out for themselves, because military units were completely segregated at the time and there was no seasoned war pilot to teach them," Variety quoted Ridley, as saying.

"President Roosevelt formed the unit as a publicity stunt because he wanted the black vote for his re-election campaign, but these guys were such skilled pilots that they ended up becoming true heroes by escorting bombers in North Africa and Italy," he added. (ANI)