Universal Pictures has tapped Jake Gyllenhaal to play Hall of Famer Joe Namath in its as-yet untitled biopic about the former New York Jets quarterback.

Scribe David Hollander (creator-writer of CBS’ The Guardian) will write the script once the writers strike is over.

The movie will tell Namath’s story as the promising young kid from steel town Beaver Falls, PA who rose to rock star status in the 1960s as the nonconformist socialite known as Broadway Joe, who would sit on the sidelines wearing a full-length fur coat.

In one of Namath’s most memorable moments, he guaranteed an upset victory in 1969′s Super Bowl III, when his Jets played the heavily-favored Baltimore Colts, and delivered on his promise.

Gyllenhaal is currently shooting the Jim Sheridan-directed Brothers with Tobey Maguire and Natalie Portman and will next team with Doug Liman on an untitled DreamWorks project that about a moon expedition.

Source

I hate sports.  Hate probably isn’t even a strong enough word for how I feel about sports.  I literally feel sick whenever I hear it on tv.  (Only thing I can figure is when I was sick as a child, I would be stuck in bed – or on the couch while my dad watched sports.  I’m not joking – they make me physically ill!)  Thing is, I have 2 sons – so of course, I’ll have to go watch sports as they grow up.  Thing is, I don’t mind that. I can sit there and watch my boys look all cute in their little jerseys.

Even though I hate sports, I love me some sports movies!  I love a feel-good-underdog-beats-the-odds sports movies.   Lately there have been some great football movies – Invincible, We Are Marshall… maybe it’s the men I love, and not the football. Hmmm.