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.
January 18th, 2013 at 9:13 AM ^
"Come to Pennnnnn Staaaate... HOO-AH!"
Oh yeah, this is going to be good.
January 18th, 2013 at 12:46 PM ^
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 3:44 PM ^
Cameron Diaz unbelievably as the owner, standing next to huge schlongs kinda takes you out of the movie.
January 18th, 2013 at 9:16 AM ^
January 18th, 2013 at 9:18 AM ^
he is just telling the story of the present day mafia this time.
January 18th, 2013 at 10:10 AM ^
January 18th, 2013 at 9:17 AM ^
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 9:49 AM ^
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 9:17 AM ^
January 18th, 2013 at 9:20 AM ^
So will Sandusky be in the "Say hello to my little friend" scene?
January 18th, 2013 at 9:24 AM ^
K about that one man...
January 18th, 2013 at 9:34 AM ^
I realized it after I wrote it. It's definitely borderline.
January 18th, 2013 at 12:28 PM ^
January 18th, 2013 at 9:20 AM ^
Hoo boy, can we just fast forward to the release date already for some Black Shoe Diaries Schadenfreude?
January 18th, 2013 at 9:20 AM ^
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.
January 18th, 2013 at 9:23 AM ^
Deadspin?! Psh, let's wait for a more reputable source to bring this to light.
January 18th, 2013 at 9:25 AM ^
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 9:21 AM ^
Why is your title a question when the article clearly states that Pacino will play Paterno?
January 18th, 2013 at 9:21 AM ^
January 18th, 2013 at 10:00 AM ^
January 18th, 2013 at 9:23 AM ^
Scent of a Nittany Lion
January 18th, 2013 at 9:27 AM ^
As long as the movie includes this, I'm cool:
January 18th, 2013 at 1:04 PM ^
Doesn't the book talk about how upset Paterno was with the refs in this game?
January 18th, 2013 at 9:32 AM ^
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)
January 18th, 2013 at 10:09 AM ^
January 18th, 2013 at 12:30 PM ^
January 18th, 2013 at 10:38 AM ^
I thought Joe Posnanski was a JoePa sympathizer? I hope the add to the content in the book.
January 18th, 2013 at 12:13 PM ^
January 18th, 2013 at 12:51 PM ^
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 1:05 PM ^
Is this going to be a made-for-tv movie or will it hit the big screen? Anyone know?
January 18th, 2013 at 2:02 PM ^
January 18th, 2013 at 2:44 PM ^
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 2:13 PM ^
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 2:47 PM ^
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 3:15 PM ^
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 3:59 PM ^
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.