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Chadwick Boseman & Harrison Ford Cast in Jackie Robinson Movie

by Alex Billington
December 9, 2011
Source: Deadline

Legendary Pictures has confirmed and officially announced today (via Deadline) casting for their upcoming Jackie Robinson biopic, set to be directed by writer/filmmaker Brian Helgeland. Up-and-coming actor Chadwick Boseman (seen above), seen in The Express and NBC's "Persons Unknown", will play the iconic baseball star Jackie Robinson, and Harrison Ford will play Branch Rickey, the MLB exec who "broke the color barrier" by signing Robinson in 1945. This sounds like it will be a spectacular film that will pay tribute to the legacy and impact of Robinson, especially with Legendary behind it and an actor they're confident in.

Harrison Ford on the other hand, still acting in prominent roles when he can, will star as Branch Rickey, the "innovative Major League Baseball executive" who is best known for breaking their color barrier by signing Jackie Robinson to a minor league contract in 1945. Two years later, at the start of the 1947 baseball season, Robinson was signed to the Brooklyn Dodgers major league baseball team with the help of Rickey. Rickey was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1967. Jackie Robinson was also inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962, after retiring from the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1956. Legendary has worked in development with Robinson's widow, Rachel Robinson, to ensure this adaptation of Robinson's story remains authentic.

The Ford casting news was originally scooped just a day before by Deadline. But no one has any information on how soon this will actually be shooting, with Deadline only mentioning that "Helgeland has written a script after Legendary jump-started a long dormant project." It sounds like if casting is coming together and they're putting out press releases, this is moving quick and something we should potentially expect in the next few years. Looks like they made some great casting picks so far, looking forward to hearing more.

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Related categories: Casting, Development, Movie News