Saturday, December 21, 2013

Sports legend Jesse Owens finally getting a biopic via Disney



Boy this is fantastic news.

"Variety" magazine reports that one of the most influential sports athletes of all-time, track and field legend Jesse Owens, is finally getting his own film care of the House of Mouse.

Director Antoine Fuqua (Training Day) is attached to direct.  The film will be based on Jeremy Schapp's book Triumph.  Here's a brief synopsis:

Set against the backdrop of the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, “Triumph” tells the story of how the son of an Alabama sharecropper shattered Adolf Hitler’s myth of Aryan supremacy by winning a record four gold medals in the 100-meter dash, the 200-meter dash, the long jump and the 400-meter relay. Hitler had insisted Jews and Blacks not be allowed to participate in the games, but relented when threatened with a boycott. He shook hands only with the German victors on the first day of competition and then skipped all further medal presentations.

Owens is a sports figure I've long believed deserves the movie treatment. His accomplishments in the Berlin Olympics was the biggest "fuck you" in the history of sports against a fascist regime.  I hope Michael B. Jordan is paying attention because this movie desperately needs you for the lead role. 

David Seidler also plans to helm the script.  No timetable yet on a production start date.





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