So who plays Lombardi?

Compared to those two and "3" ... "Junction Boys" was an Oscar winner.

(Although I was one of the few here who always maintained that "Junction Boys" was pretty entertaining anyway, outside of a few cringe-worthy lines.)

 

Drew Carey was my first thought, too. I guess it was the haircut, glasses and midwest schtick. But I don't think he has the acting chops to carry off Lombardi.

I could see DeNiro doing this role and doing it well.

 

I wonder if ESPN is going to make this as factually inaccurate as the Season on the Brink film and have Lombardi coaching Brett Favre during the 1996 season.

 

I hope we'll see a young Lombardi tell his father "I just wanna coach football, daddy!"

 

Tom Hanks
body type isn't exactly right, but with a haircut and the right glasses he could pull it off to perfection.
I don't think a guy with his credentials does and ESPN TV movie, though.

 

What about this guy?



For the uninitiated, that's Domenick Lombardozzi, who played Herc in "The Wire." He also played Moose Skowron in "61*."

He's only 33, so he might be a little young (and also a little too tall), but still, he's got the general look and build and the New York accent ...

Buck, in general with these ESPN biopics, the source material hasn't been the problem. "A Season on the Brink," "The Junction Boys" and "Hustle" were all excellent books, well-researched and critically acclaimed. (I'm not sure what the source material for "3" was). Now as for what the producers/directors will do in their adaptations, I'm not sure.

 

I think we can guarantee at least two scenes:

"What the hell's going on out there? Everybody grabbin! Grab, grab, grab!"

And: "What we want is to get a seal here, and seal here."

 

I can't see Giamatti pulling it off from a looks standpoint...

I love Jerry Stiller, but he's one of those guys who I don't think I could take seriously in a serious part.

I'll bet there's some character actor who has been on Sopranos who could pull it off better than any big name.

 

He ain't quittin'!

 

Vinnie Pastorie ( AKA Big Pussy)

 

Michael Rispoli (AKA Jackie Aprile Sr.) already has the hat and glasses:

 

Too big.

Lombardi was not a massive looming guy. Look at some of those old pictures of him on the Packer sideline; most of those guys towered over him, and this was in the days that a guy who was 6-3, 275 was a giant.

But Vince Curatola (Johnny Sack) from The Sopranos might be a good pick.

It can't be an A-lister (DeNiro, Hanks, probably Giamatti) because this isn't going to be a multi-multi-million-dollar production. It's got to be a B-lister, a TV guy, or one of those character actors.

On the Tom Landry sub-tangent: Chris Cooper.