We’ve already seen a slew of stirring football movies like Any Given Sunday, Rudy, Invincible, We Are Marshall and The Blind Side and now THR confirms that there’s another on the way. It’s being written by Gregory Howard, the scribe who penned that other motivational pigskin pic, Remember the Titans.
His new film will be based on the life of quarterback Marlin ‘The Magician’ Briscoe, an athlete who emerged from a childhood of poverty to become a Super Bowl champion. After playing football for Omaha University, Briscoe was drafted into the NFL as a defenseman for the Denver Broncos. When the team’s quarterback was injured, Briscoe assumed the position and became the NFL’s first black quarterback. His dream career took a hard hit when Briscoe became addicted to drugs. He eventually came back ten-fold by starting a youth football camp and becoming a mentor for the Boys and Girls Club.
This project has been in development for quite some time. On the official website there’s a timeline that documents the film’s development from the moment Briscoe released his autobiography, to Chris Pratt penning the first screenplay, to every marketing move made by West Omaha Films all the way up to Howard getting involved.
Howard is well aware of the magical true story that’s fallen into his lap. "To be the first in anything is challenging. To be the first starting black quarterback, the thinking position, has real significance." He added, "I'm going to tell this personal story of Marlin Briscoe and use football as a backdrop.” That sounds great, but it doesn’t insure that The Magician (the film’s tentative title) will be any different from the lot. Yes, it’s a fantastic and moving story, but that doesn’t always mean it must be adapted into a feature film.
