I have a strange and long-held theory that if you were to
explain the basics of most sports to a person who had never before heard of
professional athletics, they would assume that you were utterly insane. For
example, football: See this pigskin? I
want you to catch it and then run 100 yards in that direction. Easy, right? The
only catch is that those guys over there - the dozen-or-so three-hundred-pound
musclemen - they're gong to try and slam you to the ground as hard as they
possibly can, causing potential injuries to your neck, back and spine. What?
No, nothing actually happens if you make it. This is all in the spirit of fun!
With that in mind, I'm absolutely not the right person to be
writing this news story, but I know history and talent and passion when I see
it. So then again, maybe I am.
ESPN Films has found their Vince Lombardi in the guise of
Robert DeNiro. Scripted by Benjamin
Button and Forrest Gump screenwriter Eric Roth, the film will tell the story of how Lombardi
transformed the Green Bay Packers from the worst-performing team in the NFL to
five-time champions.
DeNiro's Tribeca Productions will co-produce with ESPN
Films, which picked up Lombardi's life-rights as well as the book "Instant
Replay" by Jerry Kramer and Dick Schaap. Deniro's business parter, Jane
Rosenthal, stated, "We've had an extraordinary relationship with ESPN for
five years through the Tribeca Film Festival, and now we're able to extend that
association into production."
Check back with UGO for more as the biopic progresses.
