The city of Cleveland has already been well-represented in the great baseball film, Major League, which I personally consider the best film on the sport ever. The Natural? Bull Durham? Pfft!!! Gimme Rick "Wild Thing" Vaughn and Pedro Cerrano any day. But now the city is about to be at the center of another major sports film, as their struggling Cleveland Browns will be the focus of Ivan Retiman's Draft Day.
The film was developed and written by Black List scribes Scott Rothman and Rajiv Joseph to follow the Buffalo Bills, but Lionsgate found better incentives in Ohio and decided to make the move. Such is the nature of Hollywood filmmaking now, when tax breaks are as much a factor in the creative process as the script or casting. With the NFL Draft right around the corner, there was also a pressure to get the ball rolling quickly as parts of the film will be shot there.
Kevin Costner will play the Browns general manager, who spends a chaotic day trying to make the right draft picks to lift the franchise out of the basement. His assistant will be played by Jennifer Garner, with Denis Leary the latest addition as the team's new head coach, who Costner is always butting heads with.
Could Draft Day be the NFL's answer to Moneyball? We'll find out if the film is a top draft pick or Mr. Irrelevant some time in 2014. [Deadline]
