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Actor Glen Powell and filmmaker Richard Linklater are set to reunite for an untitled biopic on legendary baseball player Lou Gehrig, with Universal Pictures backing the project, reported Variety.
According to Variety, the film marks another collaboration between Powell and Linklater after their work on 'Hit Man' and 'Everybody Wants Some'. The biopic will chronicle the life of Gehrig, the Hall of Fame first baseman who became one of baseball's greatest icons. Nicknamed the "Iron Horse" for playing a then-record 2,130 consecutive games, Gehrig's illustrious career was cut short after he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). His emotional farewell speech at Yankee Stadium in 1939, in which he described himself as "the luckiest man on the face of the Earth," remains one of the most memorable moments in American sports history. Gehrig died in 1941 at the age of 37. His life was previously portrayed in the 1942 classic 'The Pride of the Yankees', with Gary Cooper playing the baseball legend, reported Variety. As per Variety, 'Saturday Night Live' creator Lorne Michaels will produce the upcoming film alongside Erin David under Broadway Video's first-look deal with Universal Pictures. Powell will also serve as a producer with Dan Cohen through their Barnstorm banner, while Linklater is in talks to produce via Detour Filmproduction. The screenplay will be penned by Simon Rich, a former Saturday Night Live writer. Rich most recently wrote Artificial, a film about OpenAI CEO Sam Altman directed by Luca Guadagnino. The project made headlines after Amazon MGM Studios dropped it before it was later acquired by Neon. Powell, known for films such as 'Twisters' and 'The Running Man', will next be seen in J.J. Abrams' 'The Great Beyond'. Linklater recently directed 'Blue Moon', which earned Academy Award nominations for its screenplay and Ethan Hawke's lead performance, as well as 'Nouvelle Vague', a film centred on the making of 'Breathless', reported Variety. (ANI)
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