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In case you were feeling like there just wasn't enough feel-good sports drama on the big screen, we're about to get a whole lot more. Variety reports that John Davis has teamed up with television producer Bruce Nash to develop a collection of sports-themed films that stem from Nash's "Amazing Sports Stories."
Davis got turned onto the idea after producing The Express, the story of Ernie Davis (the first African-American to win the Heisman). Mixing that with Nash, who has written a whopping 60 books on sports history, and we have a lot of sports drama in our future. Davis says that there are "so many untold triumph-of-the-human-spirit stories that just work so well for movies."

One idea is to focus on the story of Bert Shepard, the only one-legged MLB player. But these films won't just be solitary tales. Another idea on the plate is the story about how the Pittsburgh Steelers had to meld with the Philadelphia Eagles in 1943, when WWII made healthy players scarce.

Are there any stories you want on the big screen, sports fans?

It's a good day for me when I get to see George Clooney on-screen in anything (or even better, in less than anything, but he doesn't tend to go there, sadly). Now you have a chance to see Clooney in his latest film, Leatherheads, for free! The title of the film makes me think of horror films, but Leatherheads, directed by and starring Clooney, is really a romantic comedy set in the world of 1920s football, when players wore helmets made out of leather rather than the high-tech, head-protecting gear they don today. The film co-stars Renée Zellweger as Clooney's beloved, and John Krasinski as war hero and football star Clooney recruits to help his floundering team.

You can sign up for your chance to win tickets right over here. And if you do get tickets to a screening, be sure to let us know what you think of the film. I'm particularly curious to see what kind of chemistry Clooney and Zellweger have -- she wouldn't be my first choice to star alongside him, so I'm wondering how they are on-screen.

Many of our postings at Cinematical come from a big queue of the day's film-related stories. Usually I open one and read about some new film starring...let's say Matthew Lillard and a sassy moose. Then I sigh, take another swig of whiskey, and try to come up with something positive to say about the project. But not today! This morning I was absolutely delighted to read a Variety casting report on Trevor Moore, a friend, hilarious writer/performer, and all around good guy. He has just been cast as the lead in a new film based on the New York Times article "Hey Coach, Do You Need a Timeout?" You might know Trevor from his very funny sketch comedy group and Fuse show The Whitest Kids U Know. If not, be sure to check out some of their stuff, you'll be glad you did. And watch for the second season, which will air on the Independent Film Channel.

The Times article the film will be based on was written by Warren St. John, and you can read it here. John also wrote the source story for The Fugees, a film in development at Universal. It's not a biography of the hip-hop superstars, but the tale of a "Jordan-born soccer coach who guided a team of refugees from war-torn countries." Matt and Billy Eddy will write the screenplay for the "Hey Coach" adaptation, which will focus on "college fraternity brothers who decide to get together and coach a pee-wee football team, but find themselves overwhelmed by the competitive nature of the league." Sounds like it could be very funny, and hopefully it will include the can't miss comedy staple -- adults screaming at children and hitting them with sports equipment. Here's hoping it will be more Bad News Bears than Kicking and Screaming...

Hitchcock. Scorsese. Belushi? Yes, critics of the world -- start sharpening your pencils. Variety is reporting that James Belushi has signed to make his feature directorial debut for Lionsgate. The film will be called The Catch, and is the true story of a 42 year-old man who returns to school and plays college football. Belushi will play the lead role in addition to co-producing and directing the film. Belushi has directed before -- he's been behind the camera for over 30 episodes of his much-mocked ABC sitcom According to Jim. Hey, you gotta start somewhere, right? David Murray is writing the script for The Catch. Apparently Murray is the go-to football guy these days -- he also wrote an upcoming biopic of Vince Lombardi (called Lombardi) that was produced by NFL Films.

The Catch tells the life story of Marty Reichman. Reichman was "on the verge of losing his job and his marriage when he decided to keep a promise to his father and return to college. He finds he's eligible to play ball and makes the team as tight end." I can't tell from the synopsis what tone the film will have. It could be a serious, touching sports film along the lines of the The Rookie with Dennis Quaid, or a broad old-guy-in-college comedy a la Back to School with Rodney Dangerfield. Belushi has been something of a punchline for years now, and I'm not sure when or why that started. Maybe it was K-9. Perhaps it was K-911. It certainly could have been K-9: P.I. Regardless, despite a career chock full of questionable choices, I've always found the man to be a likable actor, especially as sidekicks in two overlooked romantic comedies -- Only the Lonely and Return to Me. Maybe this could be a comeback story on and off screen?