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Bob Shaye and Michael Lynne’s Unique Pictures has set New York-based scribe Richard Regen to write an untitled biopic about the life of New York Jets linebacker Bart Scott. The hope is to generate an inspiring film in the vein of The Blind Side, focusing on Scott’s survival of a childhood spent in a violent neighborhood of Detroit, to become one of the best linebackers in the game. The project came to Shaye and Lynne through New York City journalist/author Gay Talese, who worked with Regen to develop the story of Scott and how he was raised by a single mother. Regen previously scripted Tehran, a script that made the Black List before being optioned by Imagine’s Brian Grazer. He also wrote Chasing the Dragon, a memoir about the Chinese Civil War for Universal and Tribeca’s Jane Rosenthal and Robert De Niro. Shaye and Lynne, the former New Line chiefs who have a deal at Warner Bros, will produce the Scott pic.
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‘The hope is to generate an inspiring film in the vein of The Blind Side, focusing on Scott’s survival of a childhood spent in a violent neighborhood of Detroit, to become one of the best linebackers in the game.’
Do you really think a wide audience will go watch this in theaters when they watched and loved THE BLIND SIDE?
Same story, a few different elements. Limited audience.
Unfortunate for Shaye and Lynne. Moviegoers don’t easily forget.
What did the industry learn from–
Seabiscuit (2003) vs Secretariat (2010)
Pfft….I’m sorry, I loved Bart in Baltimore but did you just refer to Bart as one of the best in the game? How long is the list you’re using?
I’m familiar with Scott’s personal story. And given Hollywoo’ds track record a film like this will Never going to get made. There’s no white saintly mentor/friend/benefactor for the black person to magnify the innate goodness of.
Brian’s Song, Jerry Maguire, The Blind Side.
Perhaps they will fabricate one like they did for Radio?
And pretty much every other film that features a black athlete or athletes . Well put, sir or madam.
Very well said… Also, Bart Scott isn’t even really a recognizable figure from the NFL. He’s only known (barely) for his loud mouth.
How ‘Precious’.
Since when is Precious a sports film? The only recent black sports film, or film featuring black people playing sports, that didnt feature a lead white actor was ‘Coach Carter’
1) Bart Scott is a (slightly above) average LB at best.
2) Growing up outside of Detroit, I could give you a list of 100 other guys who grew up the same way. Venture out of Detroit and that list balloons to 1000+
I give him credit for getting out alive, but there’s nothing unique about his story… UNLESS it’s based on a MIlton-Bradley game!
Somebody had to get Jets Season tickets out of this deal. Only way it makes sense. Football movies are box office gold though.
The problem with Hollywood in a nutshell: Sincere storytelling has given way to maudlin repetition.
I am not even sure Bart’s story would make the cover of Sports Illustrated, much less a major motion picture. Here’s a short list of NFL films I WOULD rather see before Bart’s Blind Side-ish tale:
* The story about Esera Tuaolo, an impoverished Samoan immigrant who went to Oregon State on a football scholarship, got drafted by Green Bay and became one of the first openly gay players in the history of the NFL. (A similar story could be done on the life of former NFL player David Kopay) Think of this film as “Milk” meets “Any Given Sunday.”
* A Pat Tillman biopic. The documentary of the Arizona Cardinal who give up the NFL to fight in Afghanistan for the military is riveting. A major motion picture could be just as powerful and has the dramatic arcs for Oscar worthy performances by actors playing his parents, Mr. Tillman and the men in his military unit who conspired to hide the truth that he was a victim of ‘friendly fire’ so the US government could use his death as a recruiting and propagandist tool.
* The story of Warrick Dunn, the former NFL running back for the Atlanta Falcons and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Dunn’s mother was an off-duty cop who was escorting a businesswoman to make a night deposit at the bank when she was ambushed and killed by armed thugs. Two of the men are currently on Death Row. After his mom’ murder, Dunn, who had just turned 18, became the head of his family and raised his siblings, all the while going to Florida State, earning his bachelor’s degree, getting his number retired for stellar play on the gridiron in college and, then, going pro. Today he is known for his foundation to help homeless and indigent women get a home. In 2007 he went to the Louisiana State Penitentiary and met one of his mom’s killers.
I think any of the above three has better major motion picture “legs” than Bart’s story.
Overseas box office on this: $0.00
Uh, Tidwell is more Maguire’s mentor in Jerry Maguire than the other way around. You should probably watch the movie again before you spew your ill-informed racism.
JaySmack makes the obvious, yet true, point here.
Also, am I the only one that absolutely HATED The Blind Side. It didn’t show any of the hardships he went through, only that woooonderful white family’s story of extreme sainthood and generosity.
I know Bart personally, and though his story is somewhat inspiring, Bart himself is not. He talks as much off the field and away from the media cameras as he does on the field or in his press conferences. He’s a funny guy, but his ego can quickly become downright nerve wracking. He really is the kind of guy who thinks that he’s arrived and that the world revolves around him. Like I said, he’s not a bad guy, but if he is portrayed true-to-life, the film won’t be very “inspiring.”
Jay Austin, you say you know Bart personally and don’t think he’s inspiring? There’s no way you know him. You probably met him one time and use that to claim your relationship with him. I know him very well and he is absolutely inspiring. I personally know his entire family from mother, father and sisters to his wife and kids. I’ve spent a ton of time with him and his family for many years. Bart is a genuine person who has a huge heart and gives so much back. There’s a lot more to him than you must have found out in your one meeting.
You say he talks as much off the field as on it…you know what that’s called? being yourself! I know plenty of professional athletes and oftentimes they have one personality when they’re in front of the camera and another when they’re not…know what that’s called? being fake!
Bart is a respectable person who treats the people around him like gold. I’ve seen professional athletes being jerks to the general public. I’ve seen Bart on multiple occassions stop what he was doing to lend someone a hand, many times the person doesn’t even know who he is.
And you claim that “He really is the kind of guy who thinks that he’s arrived and that the world revolves around him”. You REALLY don’t know him at all. He may talk a lot but he’s as humble as they come. He is the way now that he was before he had anything. He took an opportunity that the Ravens gave him and turned into a great career.
Even if he did act as if “he’s arrived”, don’t you think he has? He came from having barely anything to being the center point of a team with a legitimate shot at going to the Super Bowl. He’s accomplished more in his young life then most people do in their whole life!
If you think that portraying Bart the way he really is won’t be “inspiring” then you don’t understand the movie industry. Do you think all these sports movies are 100% accurate? Ask Michael Oher how he feels about his movie and its accuracy. Why do you think he’s writing a book to say what really happened?
I’ll see the movie because Bart is a great guy and I support him. If you knew him the way you claimed you would too. Quit bad mouthing people you don’t even know hater.
I worked as a student equipment manager with the college football team Bart played for, Southern Illinois. From my own personal experience this man deserves everything he has worked so hard for and I respect him a great deal. Congrats Bart, keep up the good work.
I dont think anyone of us knows bart personally. your all judging him on press conferences and interviews from television. lots of players in the nfl are divish. Im interested in these types of movies because they are inspiring. My favorite football move thus far that ive seen is “they call me sirr” featuring sirr parker. too bad he didnt have much of a career in the nfl.