THR is reporting today that Kevin James is set to headline an upcoming football drama titled 44. Based on the true story of Joey Williams, the film will revolve around the father of four who “returned to college to complete his degree and fulfill a lifelong dream of playing collegiate football. In the process, however, he instead found himself competing alongside his college-aged son at the same university.”
44 is said to be in the vein of The Blind Side, meaning that it will be a feel-good, inspirational tale, and in an interview with NPR, Williams explained his story as such:
I received an injury in high school that kept me from finishing my high school football career. I had a scholarship to a university there in Tennessee, but turned it down, because I was afraid I would have a problem walking in the future, if I ever had another knee injury. When my son got to playing football, he ended up going to the same junior high and high school that I played at. The memories just started to kill me. I decided to see if I could get myself back in shape to play again. I asked his permission to do it.
Scripting duties have fallen to Christopher Parker (Heaven Is For Real) and DeVon Franklin will produce alongside Todd Garner, Lisa Kors and James. No word on a director just yet, but with a star now locked in, expect Alcon Entertainment and Warner Bros. to find a helmer for 44 sooner rather than later.
