Glen Powell to play baseball legend Lou Gehrig in Richard Linklater biopic

Ten years after the release of the baseball comedy, Everybody Wants Some!!its protagonist Glen Powell and the filmmaker Richard Linklaterthey will collaborate again on a new film project that will take them back to sports.

The actor will go out on the diamond once again under the direction of the filmmaker in a biopic about baseball legend, Lou Gehrigwith house in Universal Pictures (via Deadline).

Powell will take on the lead role as the iconic New York Yankee, with Linklater directing, and Simon Rich (Artificial, An American Pickle) as a screenwriter.

Lorne Michaelsa lifelong Yankees fan, will produce alongside Erin David under Broadway Video's first-look deal with Universal. Powell will produce alongside Dan Cohen under Barnstorm's first-look deal with the studio. Linklater is in talks to produce through Detour Filmproduction.

Gehrig, born June 19, 1903 in Yorkville, NY, is Considered one of the greatest baseball players of all timeand one of the most revered sports figures of the 20th century, largely thanks to his stamina, which earned him the nickname “The Iron Horse” (“The Iron Horse”). The seven-time All-Star, played a record of 2,130 consecutive gamesa mark that was believed to be unattainable until Baltimore's Cal Ripken surpassed it in 1998.

The first baseman played his entire 17-year career with the Yankeeswinning the World Series six times, including 1927, considered by many to be the best in history. Yankee #4 won the Triple Crown in 1934, with a .363 batting average, 49 home runs and 166 RBIs.

In 1939, Gehrig's playing streak and career came to an abrupt halt, when He was diagnosed with what would later be known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), the neuromuscular disease now commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease. He died on June 2, 1941 at the age of 37.

Gehrig's story is a Hollywood favorite, but curiously it has only been told once, in the classic 1942 drama, Pride of the Yankeesstarring Gary Cooper as the Hall of Famer. It included Gehrig's iconic farewell speech at Yankee Stadium in his final public appearance.

At the moment it is unknown what specific topics will be addressed in the biopic, although the source indicates that one of Gehrig's colleagues at NYY who will have an important role is Babe Dahlgrenthe one in charge of replacing him at first base.

There is no production start date yet.

Powell is about to wrap up filming the second season of the Hulu series, Chad Powers. Powell and Linklater most recently worked together on the Netflix action comedy, Hit Man (2024).