After graduating from Duke University, Tennessee-born Randall Wallace relocated to Los Angeles and began writing novels. Within several months, he had landed at Stephen Cannell Productions as a producer and writer. Wallace went on to work in those capacities on the series "J.J. Starbuck" (NBC, 1987-88), starring Dale Robertson, the short-lived "Sonny Spoon" (NBC, 1988), with Mario Van Peebles, and "Broken Badges" (CBS, 1990-91).

A Scottish vacation led Wallace to make the transition to the big screen. While visiting Edinburgh, he learned of the 13th-century adventurer William Wallace, who led a