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Al Pacino Reportedly Set to Play Joe Paterno in Penn State Scandal Film

Sep. 8, 2012 3:38pm Madeleine Morgenstern

AP Photos

Academy Award winner Al Pacino is reportedly attached to play Joe Paterno in a film about the late Penn State football coach and the child sex abuse scandal that engulfed the university, according to Deadline New York.

The film will be based on the new biography “Paterno,” released last month by former Sports Illustrated writer Joe Posnanski. No director or screenwriter is attached yet to the project.

From Deadline:

The narrative arc of the movie that will be shopped is obvious. A man becomes the winningest coach in college football history and builds a powerhouse football program that turns him into a campus deity. When his former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky is revealed to be a pedophile and it comes out Paterno was told and helped hide the scandal, the coach was summarily fired. He died shortly after of cancer — and many feel of a broken heart — and the school had little choice but to raze a fabled statue of Paterno just as the NCAA dropped the hammer with sanctions against the school that included removal of Paterno’s wins going back to the cover-up.

Sandusky was convicted in June of sexually assaulting 10 boys and is currently in jail awaiting a potential life sentence.

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Comments (44)

hjablo
Posted on September 10, 2012 at 4:15am
Who would want to pay good money to see a movie about liars/people in denial, a pedophile and those innocent kids that were hurt by them?. If this is an attempt to right the wrongs, or sugar coat what happened, I fell that it is wrong. Paterno knew what was going on and so did the Penn State higher-ups. They all kept quiet to protect their own image and that of the program. I think that they all got what they deserved and the only people that I feel sorry for are the victims. I’m a huge sports fan, but will not watch a glorification/justification of what happened there.

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Detroit paperboy
Posted on September 9, 2012 at 7:11am
Harry Reid is playing Sandusky ……………………

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DOra Glasberg
Posted on September 9, 2012 at 6:56am
I think Daniel Travanti is the right age and has similar features.

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grayling646
Posted on September 8, 2012 at 11:47pm
It is impossible for me to support a man who placed winning football games over the safety of children. I won’t be watching this movie.

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bage66
Posted on September 8, 2012 at 10:55pm
Joe Pesci would make a decent JoPa

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SIXFRIGATES
Posted on September 8, 2012 at 9:16pm
Sandusky to be played by Roman Polanski in his acting debut.

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- DOra Glasberg
  Posted on September 9, 2012 at 6:49am
  Leslie Neilen would have made a good Sandusky.
  
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ClaudeRains
Posted on September 8, 2012 at 9:13pm
Yet another movie I’ll not be seeing.

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CoyoteDKM
Posted on September 8, 2012 at 8:29pm
What do you want to bet they are making a movie because some of them (the hollywood “elite”) were right there abusing the kids with sandusky, and they want to re-write history before anyone realizes it? Why else would they be in such a hurry to push out a movie about this? They are trying to cover their rear ends and control what people think about this. There were a lot of rumors that the charity sandusky ran was used by him as a front to pimp kids out to other rich pedophiles, but no one dared take on that issue. Would be no surprise at all if some of them are the people making this movie.

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- RJJinGadsden
  Posted on September 9, 2012 at 8:07am
  I think that you are on to something there. Pretty much the way they have re-written history with political movies.
  
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- Wango
  Posted on September 9, 2012 at 9:08am
  What do you want to bet they are making a movie because Tea Party activists were right there abusing the kids with sandusky.
  
  Wanna hear some more of my theories?
  
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- Zipit
  Posted on September 9, 2012 at 4:04pm
  Sure there Wang! If you can pull your thumb out of Dora’s butt long enough to come up with at least one thought that was worth a crap!
  
  Report this comment
toiletclogga
Posted on September 8, 2012 at 8:18pm
Paterno is dead and cannot defend himself. Hollywood POS! The PSU trustees need to be asked why they didn’t do anything; particularly Tom Corbett, the PA Governor! Corbett was the AG when it was first known that Sandusky liked little boys.

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- havearealbirthcert
  Posted on September 9, 2012 at 9:38am
  Don`t forget Fat Eddie ,the Philly mobster he was the GOV during a good portion of the scandal.
  
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nocomment
Posted on September 8, 2012 at 6:55pm
Al Pacino already went ‘butt up’ in a movie. It was called ‘Cruisin’. There was a scene where Al was on all fours, butt up.

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blanco5
Posted on September 8, 2012 at 5:59pm
Douch bag playing a douche bag….seems like a good casting call.

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www.TopTheNews.com
Posted on September 8, 2012 at 5:32pm
Seriously?

Who would want to see this right now, or even in the immediate future? Probably another dud put out by la-la land.

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wbaranowski
Posted on September 8, 2012 at 5:32pm
So, will Di Nero play the convicted pederast? It would be good to see them both on the screen, again, chewing up the rug, so to speak.

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Chet Hempstead
Posted on September 8, 2012 at 5:25pm
Aside from the consideration of whether any such film should be made or if anybody would want to watch it, that’s pretty good casting.

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mash4077
Posted on September 8, 2012 at 5:05pm
typical liberal cowards. beat up on people who can’t defend themselves.

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Look4DBigPicture
Posted on September 8, 2012 at 4:55pm
Only perverts would pay to go see a story about this disgusting monster, and only Hollywood would find pleasure in sensationalizing this kind of sick behavior.

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teddrunk
Posted on September 8, 2012 at 4:54pm
Shouldn’t this be directed by Roman Polanski

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- Wango
  Posted on September 9, 2012 at 9:10am
  Tom Foley would make a great Sadusky.
  
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needmoinfo
Posted on September 8, 2012 at 4:43pm
When these things are exposed you have less victims. Those who knew should have at least laid down the law if they didn’t go to the law, They had the upper hand on him. They knew. Children cannot legally consent to anything so that argument is bogus.

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Silversmith
Posted on September 8, 2012 at 4:37pm
Are they/we so numb that this qualifies as entertainment??

Depressing.

Silversmith

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intercepter
Posted on September 8, 2012 at 4:35pm
there are so many people that some how dodged the bullet ,that should have went down long before
Paterno,,a lot of dirty hands

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nostromo
Posted on September 8, 2012 at 4:09pm
They should do a movie about how Sandusky was allowed to adopt 6 kids. One of them after the 1998 incident that was investigated by state police, the DA, and Centre County Youth Services and “no criminal wrongdoing” was found. All these social services professionals continued to allow Sandusky contact with kids thru his charity even after they knew of his strange behaviour in 98. While they are at it, they should include Louis Freeh and his buddies on the Second Mile bd. of directors from his days at MBNA (bought by Bk. of America). Toss in a cameo by Tom Corbett, the PA governor, who was aware of Sandusky while he sat on PSU’s bd. of trustees but didnt tell anyone. There is enough bigtime political and financial scandal here for three movies, but I guess it is just a football story.

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- 13th Imam
  Posted on September 8, 2012 at 4:14pm
  Mrs. Sandusky must be a blind dunderhead up her butt DEMOCRAT.
  
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- RJJinGadsden
  Posted on September 8, 2012 at 4:22pm
  So many of those agents, producers, directors with all of those child actor work experiences will be able to assist the actor who gets the Sandusky role too.
  
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- Wango
  Posted on September 9, 2012 at 9:11am
  13th – Paterno Sandusky – registered Republicans.
  
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justangry
Posted on September 8, 2012 at 3:58pm
So glad Hollywood is going to make money off of children being raped. Those people have no souls. I do hope folks are smart enough to make this film a complete bust.

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- Wool-Free Vision
  Posted on September 8, 2012 at 4:18pm
  I couldn’t agree more, JustAngry. Unfortunately, you and I both know that the American public will gobble this kind of trash up like pigs at the trough, particularly the basement-dwellers who are absolutely giddy over the fact that this scandal is an ugly stain on the “violent” sport of football.
  
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v15
Posted on September 8, 2012 at 3:58pm
Hollywood officially ran out of good ideas years ago, although, sometimes they surprise me. Everything is a remake, a prequel, or a sequel. If I get married and have kids and they ask me years from now, “Dad, how were able to live back then with Obama in the White House and James Cameron making Avatar 2 and 3??” “Those were dark times. Day by day.”

I have a bad feeling that:
(1) Clint Eastwood will die this winter (Dec 2012/Jan 2013) after
(2) Barack Obama “wins” the election.

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- needmoinfo
  Posted on September 8, 2012 at 4:32pm
  Could be thousands dead it the White House keeps leaking like an old radiator.
  
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- DOra Glasberg
  Posted on September 9, 2012 at 6:52am
  Leaking like McCAins Pampers.
  
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Eastinfection
Posted on September 8, 2012 at 3:45pm
Sure.. but its’ going to be Sandusky’s character standing in the shower saying, “Say Hello to my Little Friend”.

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- RJJinGadsden
  Posted on September 8, 2012 at 4:09pm
  LOL! I was just checking the net to see who will play Sandusky and he is not mentioned yet. I figured there would be a boatload of Hollyweird types shooting for that role. You know the types, those who “helped” the two Corey’s back in their youth.
  
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- Eastinfection
  Posted on September 8, 2012 at 4:25pm
  I nominate Tom Arnold
  
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- Wool-Free Vision
  Posted on September 8, 2012 at 4:54pm
  I would nominate a guy who is much easier to hate, someone truly vile and despicable, like maybe Tom’s ex-husband, Roseanne, or that dude who used to be on TV every day spewing garbage about banning guns and banning Conservatives… Rosie O’Donnell.
  
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- Eastinfection
  Posted on September 8, 2012 at 5:07pm
  I said Tom Arnold because i actually think he would play the role well- not because i harbor ill will towards him. He has the guts to play the part & i think he’d do a good job.
  
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- Wool-Free Vision
  Posted on September 8, 2012 at 5:48pm
  Well, if we’re gonna be serious about it then my money is on either Phillip Seymour Hoffman or Paul Giamatti.
  
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- 13th Imam
  Posted on September 8, 2012 at 8:27pm
  Roman Polansky
  
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- grayling646
  Posted on September 8, 2012 at 11:51pm
  Who should play Sandusky? That’s easy…Rosie O’Donnell.
  
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- Wango
  Posted on September 9, 2012 at 9:12am
  Tom Foley
  
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