Lo and behold, here comes another project about the glorious pigskin. This year, we had Invincible and the TV show “Friday Night Lights,” and let’s not forget about the upcoming movie We Are Marshall. There’s no doubt about it: Americans are completely obsessed with football.
According to Production Weekly, Gary Fleder (Impostor) will jump on the bandwagon and direct the football biopic The Express. The story, about sports legend Ernie Davis, will be adapted by Jeffrey Lieber from Robert Gallagher’s book “Ernie Davis: The Elmira Express.”
In 1960, running back Ernie Davis led his college football team (go Syracuse University!) to the national championship; in 1961, he became the first black man to ever win the Heisman trophy. Then, later that year, he was the first pick in the NFL draft, winding up with the Cleveland Browns. But this is not the type of feel-good story it sounds like: Davis was diagnosed with Leukemia, and died before he ever got the chance to play professional football.
Whip out the hankies—this sounds like the next Brian's Song. As of now, production is slated for February.
