No, the headline of this story is not meant to imply that Jason Sudeikis and Jeremy Irons are strapping on their best trainers to see who can run the fastest 100-metre dash, though we would watch that… They have simply joined the cast of Jesse Owens biopic **Race.
Stephan James was cast as Owens back in May and now, with Focus Features’ backing, the film is sprinting towards production, breaking away from the pack of competing Owens films that are all looking to profile the Olympic legend.
Stephen Hopkins is about to start cranking the cameras on this version, which will chart Owens’ story from his early days and his quest to become the greatest track and field athlete in history. He ended up competing in the 1936 Olympics, held in Berlin, and faced down Adolf Hitler’s annoyance to win four gold medals.
Sudeikis is aboard as Owens’ obsessive coach Larry Snyder, a former track star himself who worked at Ohio State University and mentored athletes who went on to set 14 word records and win eight Olympic golds. Irons, meanwhile, will be Avery Brundage, who championed Berlin as the site for the 1936 event. With a script by Anna Waterhouse and Joe Shrapnel, Race is scheduled to start shooting next week.
Sudeikis will next be seen in Horrible Bosses 2, which arrives here on November 28. Irons has been at work playing Bruce Wayne’s loyal Butler and confidante Alfred Pennyworth in Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice, set to land in 2015.