J.C. Chandor followed up the Oscar-nominated Margin Call with Robert Redford-in-peril-on-the-sea drama All Is Lost, which itself is now generating awards heat. So it’s not surprising to see that the writer-director is in demand. Now Legendary Pictures thinks he’s the man to get a biopic of American Football legend Vince Lombardi across the goal line.
The company scored a decent success focusing on a famous sports personality this year with Jackie Robinson baseball pic 42. It’s hoping that Lombardi’s story could be the key to another win at the box office.
Lombardi became a coaching legend after overcoming a difficult time with the New York Giants and going on to lead the Green Bay Packers to five NFL championships and, even more historically, the first two Super Bowl victories in 1967 and 1968. It’s not surprising that Legendary would choose Lombardi as its next target, since boss Thomas Tull is a huge NFL fan who owns part of the Pittsburgh Steelers team.
Legendary is naturally eager to get moving on this one, since Lombardi’s life and career are already the subject of one project in development, with Robert De Niro producing a script written by Eric Roth. There’s not too much to worry about just yet, however, as that seems to be mired in limbo.
Chandor is set to write the new film and may end up in the director’s seat, working from life rights secured from Lombardi’s estate and a play about the man written by Eric Simonson. It won’t be his next job, though, as he’s busy preparing to make **A Most Violent Year **with Jessica Chastain and Javier Bardem attached to star. All Is Lost, meanwhile, hits cinemas on December 26.