Glen Powell and Richard Linklater are taking a big swing with their next project together, reuniting for a biopic about one of the greatest baseball players of all time.
Powell is set to portray the New York Yankees’ legendary first baseman Lou Gehrig in an untitled film at Universal Pictures. SNL creator Lorne Michaels, also a lifelong Yankee fan, is on board to produce, with Linklater set to direct the film from a script by writer Simon Rich (SNL, An American Pickle).
Gehrig spent his entire 17-year career with the Yankees, playing in a record 2,130 consecutive games, winning six World Series titles, and earning the nickname “The Iron Horse.” His career came to an abrupt halt in 1939 when he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as MND and commonly referred to as Lou Gehrig’s disease. He died in 1941 at age 37.
Despite his legendary status, Gehrig has somehow only been the subject of one major film—The Pride of the Yankees—which starred Gary Cooper and was released just one year after the baseball player’s death.
The central focus and specifics of Linklater’s new film are currently unknown. However, according to Deadline, Babe Dahlgren, the man tasked with replacing Gehrig at first base when he suddenly retired, is believed to have a pivotal role in the film.
There’s also no information yet on a production start date, but it could still be some time away, as Powell has pretty much been working nonstop for over a year. The actor just wrapped production on the second season of Hulu’s football series Chad Powers and is now filming Judd Apatow’s latest comedy, The Comeback King.
The Lou Gehrig biopic will mark Powell and Linklater’s fifth time working together, with their most recent collaboration being the 2024 Netflix comedy Hit Man.
Source: Deadline
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