Draft Day, the Ivan Reitman-directed football film, has added Denis Leary to its cast as the coach of the Cleveland Browns.
Leary joins Kevin Costner and Jennifer Garner who both have committed to the projected. Leary will play Vince Penn, the new coach of the Brows who finds himself at odds with the GM (Costner). The story centers around the team trying to better itself through drafting the ideal players for the future of the franchise.
The original Black List-topping script by Scott Rothman and Rajiv Joseph had the team as the Buffalo Bills, but Lionsgate was able to get better incentives in Ohio, so the team was changed to the Browns.
Leary’s casting comes at the last possible minute, as part of the film is set to be shot on April 25th during the NFL draft at the Radio City Music Hall.
The story sounds like an interesting one, and the script is obviously great if it was able to top the Black List. High profile sports films always seem to do decently well, despite bordering on cliche most of the time. A film about a draft from the front-office’s perspective sounds unique though, so hopefully Draft Day is able to provide a fresh perspective not previously seen in a football film.
I enjoy most of Leary’s acting, so I think he’s a quality pick to take on this role. He’s been great throughout his career, but I especially enjoyed his performance in The Amazing Spider-Man last year. He’s joining what should be a quality project, so it’s no surprise that he signed on, but still, you have to wonder how much they had to pay him to get him to commit to taking on a job no one wants – coaching the Browns. (Sorry, had to get a Cleveland sports jab in here somehow).
What do you think of Leary joining Draft Day? Are you excited to see him as coach of the Browns? What about the film in general? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below.