Tony Montana meets his match.
Actor Al Pacino will star in an HBO movie about Joe Paterno, the infamous Pennsylvania State University coach. While he was seen as “one of the best college football coaches of all time,” he was entangled in quite the controversy. His assistant coach Jerry Sandusky was put on trial for the sexual abuse of ten boys, but his crimes were exemplified during the investigations.
Paterno allegedly knew of Sandusky’s actions, yet he never went to the police. “His career came to a sudden halt in 2011 when assistant coach Sandusky’s crimes came to light, with a 2012 report concluding that Paterno and other Penn State officials were aware of Sandusky’s actions but chose to look the other way,” a Variety article says. Even though Paterno never hurt the survivors himself, he definitely neglected their health and well-being, and all in the name of football. Needless to say, he was removed from his pedestal.
He passed away on January 22, 2012.
Five years later, Director Barry Levinson will make a movie about the rise and fall of Paterno’s legacy. Pacino will be at the helm of the film’s success. “The currently untitled Pacino film marks Pacino’s latest in a string of HBO projects,” the article continues. He and Levinson have worked on a couple movies (e.g., You Don’t Know Jack and Phil Spector) together, so their collaboration should be interesting, or, at the very least, exhausting.
They’re dealing with heavy subject matter, so, whenever the trailer gets released, audiences should expect anything but peace, love, and joy. Here’s what the synopsis of the movie reads: After becoming the winningest coach in college football history, Joe Paterno is embroiled in Penn State’s Jerry Sandusky sexual abuse scandal, challenging his legacy and forcing him to face questions of institutional failure on behalf of the victims.
The description’s enticing, and so is the prospect of Pacino. However, the best part has nothing to do with the cast, crew, or storyline. The movie will be shedding a light on the severity of sexual abuse in the sports industry, a widespread issue that needs more airtime than football games.
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