Robert Redford to star in Brian Helgeland’s Branch Rickey film
Not one to grace the silver screen very often, let alone in a leading role, iconic actor Robert Redford has signed on for a project that will see him do just that.
The LA Times is reporting that Redford will be starring as Branch Rickey in Brian Helgeland’s upcoming biopic on the legendary baseball player-turned-exec. Best known for bringing Jackie Robinson to the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947, Rickey assisted in one of the most culturally influential moment in sports history, and his story has been made with that as its most important aspect.
Helgeland will be writing and directing the film, which will be backed by WB and Legendary Pictures. The film will in turn look at the relationship that Rickey had with Robinson, and how not only did he want to change the culture of baseball by bringing Robinson in, but also make all the more money through the act. Redford even said that “no one really knows the Rickey part, the political maneuvers and the partnership they had to share. It’s the story underneath the story you thought you knew.”
Personally, I think it will be wonderful to see Redford back on the big screen in a leading role, something that hasn’t happened in quite some time. It goes without saying that he’s a brilliant thespian, so given this really great narrative, this could be a classic sports film in the making.
What do you think?
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