OT: Pacino to play Joe Paterno?

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January 18th, 2013 at 10:11 AM
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Moe Greene
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OT: Pacino to play Joe Paterno?

Via ESPN -

Curious casting choices here, no?

LOS ANGELES -- Al Pacino will play Joe Paterno in a movie about the late Penn State football coach.

Producer Edward R. Pressman confirms Brian De Palma will direct "Happy Valley," the tentative title of the film, based on Joe Posnanski's best-seller "Paterno."

"'Happy Valley' reunites the 'Scarface' and 'Carlito's Way' team of De Palma and Pacino for the third time and I can't think of a better duo to tell this story of a complex, intensely righteous man who was brought down by his own tragic flaw," Pressman said in a statement. No start or release dates were given for the film.

While Pressman said the plot remains "under wraps," Posnanski's book followed Paterno's final years, as the winningest coach in college football history saw his career end in disgrace in 2011 with the sex abuse scandal involving assistant Jerry Sandusky.

 

We can only say this - the scene in which Paterno gets mad and yells a lot will be well done.

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January 18th, 2013 at 10:13 AM | "Come to Pennnnnn Staaaate... (Score:5 Normal)
Blue-Chip
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"Come to Pennnnnn Staaaate... HOO-AH!"

Oh yeah, this is going to be good.

Your friendly neighborhood contrarian.

January 18th, 2013 at 11:08 AM | This goes here: (Score:1)
ihatSECfans
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"It was open," Toussaint said. "I can't compare this hole to any other holes because I can't remember that but it was a huge hole."

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January 18th, 2013 at 11:29 AM | Or this (Score:1)
M-Wolverine
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"I love him, he's a great coach, he's a great mentor, he's a great friend. He's every single thing you want a college coach to be, and he does it flawlessly." -David Molk

January 18th, 2013 at 1:46 PM | I liked this movie (except (Score:2)
FrankMurphy
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I liked this movie (except for the weird uniforms and team names), but I always thought Pacino was wrongly cast for that role. He doesn't really strike me as a prototypical football coach. The only reason he might be okay to play Paterno is that he looks a little bit like him.

January 18th, 2013 at 4:44 PM | There was something off about the movie. (Score:2)
M-Wolverine
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Cameron Diaz unbelievably as the owner, standing next to huge schlongs kinda takes you out of the movie.

"I love him, he's a great coach, he's a great mentor, he's a great friend. He's every single thing you want a college coach to be, and he does it flawlessly." -David Molk

January 18th, 2013 at 10:16 AM | Brian Depalma is one of the (Score:1)
redwhiteandmaize
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Brian Depalma is one of the best directors ever.But a movie about Joe Paterno is not up his alley considering he directed Scarface.

"Are you an official here?Because you've officially given me a boner."

January 18th, 2013 at 10:18 AM | Not really, (Score:3 Normal)
ijohnb
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he is just telling the story of the present day mafia this time.

January 18th, 2013 at 11:10 AM | de Palma hasn't made a even a (Score:3 Normal)
Needs
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de Palma hasn't made a even a decent movie in 20 years, and even his good movies (Scarface, Untouchables, Carlito's Way) are right on the edge of camp. This will either be a disaster or will never make it out of pre-priduction.

January 18th, 2013 at 10:17 AM | Yeah, (Score:1)
ijohnb
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I saw this.  This is a risky proposition.  Hard to make a movie like this without the dust settling on the most significant portion of what the story will be.  For Pacino, I think it could be a legacy type role depending on the script and the direction the movie goes in.  He already played the hell out of a football coach in an otherwise bad movie so I am anxious to see what he can bring to this role in a good one (assuming it is).  I will see it, I am not sure how I will feel about seeing it.

January 18th, 2013 at 10:49 AM | The dust has a long way to go (Score:1)
bluebyyou
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The dust has a long way to go until it is settled......there are criminal trials coming up, a whistleblower suit and all of the civil litigation surrounding the victims.

If it is truly biographical and follows a timeline that approaches Paterno's lifetime, I suspect Paterno's involvement in the scandal will ge played down.  Or perhaps that will be the beginning of the movie and the rest will be portraying Paterno as  hero.

I won't see it unless I know there is no money going to the Paterno estate. I hope Paterno rots in hell.

January 18th, 2013 at 10:17 AM | I was really hoping for (Score:4 Normal)
evenyoubrutus
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I was really hoping for Christopher Walken for that role but I guess Pacino would be ok.

Not that I loved Rich Rod less, but that I loved Michigan more.

January 18th, 2013 at 10:20 AM | So (Score:5 Normal)
LSA Aught One
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So will Sandusky be in the "Say hello to my little friend" scene?

January 18th, 2013 at 10:24 AM | ID (Score:3 Normal)
ijohnb
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K about that one man...

January 18th, 2013 at 10:34 AM | I know (Score:3 Normal)
LSA Aught One
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I realized it after I wrote it.  It's definitely borderline.

January 18th, 2013 at 1:28 PM | I do not think (Score:1 Overrated)
Hank Hill
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That any joke about the sexual assaults of several young boys can be called "Borderline". There is no line. All jokes about this subject are in poor taste.

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January 18th, 2013 at 10:20 AM | Hoo boy, can we just fast (Score:3 Normal)
State Street
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Hoo boy, can we just fast forward to the release date already for some Black Shoe Diaries Schadenfreude?

January 18th, 2013 at 10:20 AM | It Might Have A Writer Too... (Score:4 Normal)
LSAClassOf2000
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According to Deadspin, Dave McKenna is in talks to write the script. McKenna wrote "American Histoy X" (he also co-produced this one, I think) and "Blow", as well as "Get Carter", if I remember correctly.

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January 18th, 2013 at 10:23 AM | Deadspin?! Psh, let's wait (Score:5 Normal)
State Street
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Deadspin?! Psh, let's wait for a more reputable source to bring this to light.

January 18th, 2013 at 10:25 AM | I think (Score:1)
ijohnb
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David Kaye wrote American History X, didn't he?  (Not that Edward Norton eventually spoke any of the words in the script, but...)

January 18th, 2013 at 10:21 AM | Why is your title a question (Score:4 Normal)
MGoVillain
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Why is your title a question when the article clearly states that Pacino will play Paterno?

MUAHAHAHAHA!  MUAHAHAHA!

January 18th, 2013 at 10:21 AM | My prediction is this movie (Score:2)
Brown Bear
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My prediction is this movie never sees the light of day. Who is going to go see this? How do you market it?

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January 18th, 2013 at 11:00 AM | Potential Oscar bait is my (Score:1 Overrated)
xxxxNateDaGreat
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Potential Oscar bait is my only theory. This would be exactly the kind of "challenging role" that gets people awards come winter time but doesn't make money at the box office. I think people will be curious but ultimately, it probably won't make its budget back because people have heard this story to death for the last few years.
As for marketing this type of film... I mean, it's a biopic so I would assume they will portray it as a tragedy of how one man's hubris destroyed a community and ruined the lives of countless young children. The classic Shakespeare-ian rise and fall of an icon.

 

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January 18th, 2013 at 10:23 AM | Subtitle (Score:2)
Yo_Blue
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Scent of a Nittany Lion

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January 18th, 2013 at 10:27 AM | As long as the movie includes (Score:2)
Lionsfan
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As long as the movie includes this, I'm cool:

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January 18th, 2013 at 2:04 PM | It might (Score:1)
BeatOSU52
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Doesn't the book talk about how upset Paterno was with the refs in this game?

We're not teaching them about sports, we're teaching them about life!

January 18th, 2013 at 10:32 AM | Al Pacino (Score:4 Normal)
MikeCohodes
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will be channelling his blind character from Scent of a Woman for this role, since Paterno didn't see anything happening in Happy Valley.

credit to who said this - @UMGoBlog on twitter (not brian)

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January 18th, 2013 at 11:09 AM | I can't wait until the scene (Score:4 Normal)
chunkums
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I can't wait until the scene when he shits his pants:

For today, goodbye. For tomorrow, good luck. And forever, Go Blue.

January 18th, 2013 at 1:30 PM | This is what non-MGOBLOG (Score:1)
oHOWiHATEohioSTATE
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members think of when they hear the term "tacopants". Especially if said at a game against Penn State.

If an OSU fan divorces his wife are they still brother and sister?

January 18th, 2013 at 11:38 AM | I thought Joe Posnanski was a (Score:2)
Elmer
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I thought Joe Posnanski was a JoePa sympathizer?  I hope the add to the content in the book.

January 18th, 2013 at 1:13 PM | as long as they show henne to (Score:1)
russale2012
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as long as they show henne to manningham i'm okay with this movie

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January 18th, 2013 at 1:51 PM | I don't mind a Paterno movie, (Score:2)
FrankMurphy
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I don't mind a Paterno movie, but it shouldn't be based on that book. Posnanski is a Paterno apologist, and his book is a sympathetic portrayal that whitewashes Paterno's role in the Sandusky scandal. 

January 18th, 2013 at 2:05 PM | Air on TV? (Score:1)
BeatOSU52
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Is this going to be a made-for-tv movie or will it hit the big screen? Anyone know?

We're not teaching them about sports, we're teaching them about life!

January 18th, 2013 at 3:02 PM | Not Interested (Score:1)
SpunkyBrewster
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Al Pacino seems like a great choice for the role, but I'm just not interested in seeing a Joe Paterno biopic. I could feel differently by the time "Happy Valley" is ready for release, though. I wonder how the PSU community feels about this film.

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January 18th, 2013 at 3:44 PM | Given that most of the PSU (Score:2)
FrankMurphy
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Given that most of the PSU community continues to deify Paterno and look for any ridiculous excuse to deflect blame from him, I could care less what the PSU community thinks about anything. 

January 18th, 2013 at 3:13 PM | I don't know how Joe Pesci (Score:2)
bluebrains98
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I don't know how Joe Pesci wasn't cast. I'd always assumed (for many many years) that when the movie about JoPa got made, Pesci would be the guy.

January 18th, 2013 at 3:47 PM | I'm sure Pesci would have (Score:3 Normal)
FrankMurphy
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I'm sure Pesci would have stabbed Sandusky in the jugular with a ball point pen and shoved him into the trunk of his car if he ever found out Sandusky was a pedophile. Therefore, Pesci would have been a pretty bad choice to play Paterno. 

January 18th, 2013 at 4:15 PM | Maybe that's what they'll go (Score:3 Normal)
Needs
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Maybe that's what they'll go for. 

"Based on a true story..."

Seriously, this movie's going to be awful. Brian dePalma's one of the least subtle directors in Hollywood, Pacino, when he's not directed well, can be a terrible over-actor, and the story is rife with potential for a horribly cliched "good man brought down by one fatal flaw" script treatment. Unfortunately, getting Pacino to sign on likely means it will get financing. Hopefully, they'll have trouble agreeing on a script and Pacino's shooting window will disappear.

January 18th, 2013 at 4:59 PM | Pacino as Paterno?  Meh.  I (Score:1)
Hannibal.
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Pacino as Paterno?  Meh.  I can think of at least a few actors who both look more the part and would probably do a better job of it too.   John Tuturro, to name one.  It has been a long time since Pacino has added  value to a movie. 

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