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TOLDJA! Harrison Ford Set To Play Branch Rickey In Jackie Robinson Film ’42′

By MIKE FLEMING JR | Friday December 9, 2011 @ 4:36pm PSTTags: 42, Branch Rickey, Harrison Ford, Jackie Robinson
Mike Fleming

Deadline revealed yesterday that Legendary Pictures was courting Harrison Ford to play Branch Rickey, the Brooklyn Dodgers GM who with Jackie Robinson broke the color line in baseball in 1947. Legendary has announced that Ford is set, and that they’ve cast Chadwick Boseman to play the Hall of Fame second baseman who had a profound impact on the Civil Rights movement. Brian Helgeland wrote the script and will direct. Here’s the release:

Burbank, CA – December 9, 2011 – Legendary Pictures announced today that it has cast Chadwick Boseman and Harrison Ford to star in the company’s film based upon history’s most celebrated baseball figure, Jackie Robinson.

Boseman will depict the iconic baseball star, paying tribute to the legacy and impact Robinson made when he became the first African American Major League Baseball player.

Ford will star as Branch Rickey, the innovative Major League Baseball executive who is best known for breaking MLB’s color barrier by signing Jackie Robinson to a minor league contract in 1945. Two years later, at the start of the 1947 major league baseball season, Robinson was signed to the Brooklyn Dodgers major league baseball team with the help of Rickey. Rickey was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1967.

Chadwick Boseman is best known for his performance in Universal Pictures’ THE EXPRESS. Boseman also just completed a lead in the independent feature KILL HOLE. On television he was a regular on the NBC series Persons Unknown. He is represented by Michael Greene at Greene & Associates, and Melanie Cook of Ziffren Brittenham.

Ford most recently starred in COWBOYS & ALIENS and is best known for starring in the INDIANA JONES and STAR WARS franchises as well as AIR FORCE ONE and THE FUGITIVE. Ford was a Best Actor Oscar® nominee for his role in the 1985 feature film WITNESS. Ford is represented by Jim Berkus at United Talent Agency and Skip Brittenham of Ziffren Brittenham.

Brian Helgeland (LA CONFIDENTIAL / MYSTIC RIVER) will write and direct, with Legendary’s Chairman and CEO, Thomas Tull, producing, and Legendary’s Chief Creative Officer and President, Jon Jashni, serving as executive producer. Dick Cook, former Chairman of Walt Disney Studios, will also serve as an executive producer. Legendary worked early on in development with Robinson’s widow, Rachel Robinson, to ensure the movie adaptation of the famed player’s story is authentic.

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Legendary Courts Harrison Ford To Play Branch Rickey In Jackie Robinson Film ’42′

By MIKE FLEMING JR | Thursday December 8, 2011 @ 8:42am PSTTags: 42, Branch Rickey, Brian Helgeland, Harrison Ford, Jackie Robinson
Mike Fleming

EXCLUSIVE: Legendary Pictures is courting Harrison Ford to play Brooklyn Dodgers general manager Branch Rickey in 42, the Brian Helgeland-directed chronicle of how Rickey and Jackie Robinson eradicated segregation in baseball in 1947. Helgeland has written a script after Legendary jump-started a long dormant project in collaboration with Robinson’s widow, Rachel Robinson. The film’s being produced by Legendary’s Thomas Tull with Jon Jashni and Dick Cook exec producing. The film will be released by Warner Bros.

Numerous top actors have been mentioned for the Rickey role, including Robert Redford, who was attached a decade ago when the project was first contemplated. Now, it looks like it’s Ford’s role if he wants it, and while he has been mentioned for a number of projects including Ender’s Game, here he would be playing the man who with Robinson was the catalyst for the most groundbreaking event to occur in sports in the 20th century.

It wasn’t enough to decide to break baseball’s color line; Rickey had to search for the right player and qualities that went beyond hitting, fielding, speed and a throwing arm. Read More »

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