Tom Brady is set to take his first steps on a well-trodden path of professional athletes who’ve attempted a transition to a Hollywood career. The former New England Patriots quarterback is one of the most decorated NFL players of the modern era and Paramount Pictures are hoping that prestige will translate to box office success with the upcoming feature 80 for Brady.
Brady is slated to produce and star in the film, which will be a football-themed road trip comedy. The NFL legend only officially announced his retirement on the 1st of February and has quickly gone to work on pre-production through his own production company 199 Productions. The project’s key ambition will be to establish Brady as a future Hollywood talent as the 44-year-old plans for a career after football.
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The central narrative will tell the true story of four friends who embark on a life-changing journey to see their icon play at Super Bowl LI. The quartet is thrust into a series of hijinks in the chaos that encompasses the largest sporting event in the country. Super Bowl LI was one of an astounding seven won by Tom Brady’s New England Patriots during his time as their starting quarterback. It was also one of the five Super Bowl games in which Brady was awarded the MVP honor or most valuable player in his illustrious trophy-laden career.
Who Else Is Involved With Tom Brady’s Film?
That narrative in itself, clearly built around Brady’s star power, doesn’t invoke a ton of confidence and eludes more to notable misfires like Shaquille O’Neal’s Kazaam or arguably more recently LeBron James’ Space Jam: A New Legacy. 80 for Brady has managed to attract a noteworthy cast of supporting talents, though, with Jane Fonda, Sally Field, Lily Tomlin and Rita Moreno set to star as the quartet of Patriots fans.
The film will also be co-written and directed by the emerging talents Kyle Marvin and Micheal Covino, best known for their 2019 warped buddy comedy The Climb. The indie feature made a splash at Cannes Film Festival, telling the story of a dysfunctional friendship tested to its limits. Marvin will also be starring in the upcoming Apple TV series WeCrashed alongside A-list Hollywood talents Jared Leto and Anne Hathaway.
The cinematic clout doesn’t end there either, with Brady also enlisting the services of Donna Gigliotti and Endeavour Content to handle the production side of things. Gigliotti already has some very impressive credits to her name, having produced the likes of Silver Linings Playbook, Hidden Figures and Shakespeare in Love. All of which were hugely successful both commercially and critically, with 24 Oscar nominations between them, eight of which they won.
There are plenty of pitfalls for 80 for Brady, but 199 Productions seem to have amassed a collection of talents capable of making the film a success. The addition of Paramount Pictures’ name attached to the project certainly won’t hurt its market appeal either.
While many athletes have tried and failed to transition to acting, there have also been considerable success stories. Perhaps most notably, former WWE talent Dwayne Johnson is one of the biggest box office stars in Hollywood today. It’s a far cry to imagine Brady replicating anything near that success but who knows. He certainly looks to be taking a bold first step on his own road to Hollywood stardom.
