Having just finished watching all the March Madness games and marveling at the fact that all the players are younger than I am, I can't really figure out how both a father and a son could possibly play for one team simultaneously. But it happened in real life, and Walden Media, that studio that wants to lift the spirits of your entire family, will be making a movie of the true story of Frank and Isaac Gildea.
And they've made a really great choice to direct it. Variety reports that Akeelah and the Bee director Doug Atchison has signed on to direct The Throwback, making it the first film he's directed since that indie became a modest hit. The producers, Mark Ciardi and Gordon Gray, are pretty experienced in the inspirational sports area-- they produced Invincible, The Rookie and Miracle in recent years.
You can read all about Frank and Isaac in this 1999 Sports Illustrated article, on which the movie will probably be based. The two played for College of the Redwoods in California in the late 90s, after Frank started playing while his son Isaac was a student there. Sounds like a good story, even if it won't necessarily end in NCAA-championship glory. Guess we'll have to leave that one to the Tarheels.
