Derek Cianfrance to direct a movie about the formation of ESPN

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

You all are familiar with director Derek Cianfrance, he’s known for indie movies like BLUE VALENTINE and THE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES but what if I told you he was doing a movie about ESPN?

Cianfrance has attached himself to helm an adaptation of the book “ESPN: Those Guys Have All the Fun” which was recently acquired by Focus Features. The material is an oral history on the formation of the massive sports network.

“ESPN began as an outrageous gamble with a lineup that included Australian Rules Football, rodeo, and a rinky-dinky clip show called Sports Center. Today the empire stretches far beyond television into radio, magazines, mobile phones, restaurants, video games and more, while ESPN’s personalities have become global superstars to rival the sports icons they cover.”

“Chris Berman, Robin Roberts, Keith Olbermann, Hannah Storm, Bill Simmons, Tony Kornheiser, Stuart Scott, Erin Andrews, Mike Ditka, Bob Knight, and scores of others speak openly about the games, shows, scandals, gambling addictions, bitter rivalries, and sudden suspensions that make up the network’s soaring and stormy history. The result is a wild, smart, effervescent story of triumph, genius, ego, and the rise of an empire unlike any television had ever seen.”

In reality, this isn’t as unusual as it may sound. Cianfrance directed a commercial for Dick’s Sporting Goods recently, and documentaries focusing on basketball and mixed martial arts.