Thanks to the interim agreement between the Weinstein Company and the Writer’s Guild that was signed last week, another one of those inspirational sports movies is moving into production. Patriots hopes to begin filming in April with a script written by The Great Debaters writer Robert Eisele and Fantastic Four director Tim Story behind the camera.
Producers are currently trying to get Forest Whitaker for the lead, according to Variety. He would play Al Collins, the real life baskeball coach at John Ehret High in Marrero, Louisiana. The team won the state baskeball title one year after Hurricane Katrina decimated their hometown and scattered the student body. Whoops, I guess they gave away the ending. Well, it’s not the destination, it’s the journey. Clearly Whitaker’s character will say lots of inspiring things and give the town and school something to rally around. Makes you forget all the overflowing toilets at the Superdome and the whole Michael Brown fiasco, doesn’t it?
Director Tim Story recognizes that this movie, which they are hoping to have shot and released by this Thanksgiving, is a departure from the two superhero special effects heavy movies he’s made recently. “I've gotten caught up with the Fantastic Four films but wanted to find a smaller film with heart, and this has come together with one of the best actors out there," Story said. "What Coach Collins did to give back the lives of his players is so inspiring."
