If you’re going to make a movie about a legendary coach, who better to cast then a legendary actor?
ESPN has reported that Robert DeNiro has signed to play football coach Vince Lombardi in, natuarally, “Lombardi.” The script is by Academy Award winner Eric Roth (Forest Gump), who also wrote the screenplay for “The Good Shepherd,” which DeNiro directed. The film will focus on Lombardi’s NFL career starting when he took over the Green Bay Packers in 1959. The worse team in the NFL when he started, Lombardi was voted coach of the year after his rookie season. In the next 8 seasons the Packers won four championships, including the first two Super Bowls. Lombardi left the Packers after the 1967 season and in 1969 became head coach of the Washington Redskins. He died in 1970. The film will also highlight the rivalry between Lombardi and Dallas Cowboys head coach Tom Landry. No word yet on who will play Landry. The film is due to be released during the Super Bowl weekend in 2012.
