Richard Linklater, Glen Powell, and Lorne Michaels Collaborate on Lou Gehrig Biopic

      Richard Linklater remains quite active—especially with his ongoing work on Merrily We Roll Along and an upcoming project about the transcendentalists—so this news feels like something we might only remember through an old headline, pondering what became of it. Nonetheless, it’s great to hear that he plans to collaborate again with Glen Powell on another baseball film. Focusing on Lou Gehrig, this project has gained more momentum than the independent production of Hit Man: according to Deadline, the film is set to be developed at Universal and will be produced by Lorne Michaels, who has a limited number of films outside of those featuring Saturday Night Live alumni.

      SNL writer Simon Rich (who also penned Luca Guadagnino’s Artificial) has been chosen to write the screenplay, which appears to encompass broad themes—baseball in general, specifically the Yankees and their legendary Murderer’s Row, along with the onset of Lou Gehrig’s Disease—perhaps influenced by the classic Gary Cooper film Pride of the Yankees. Additionally, Deadline’s article mentions that “one of Gehrig’s teammates likely to play a significant role in the film is Babe Dahlgren, the player responsible for taking over Gehrig’s position at first base.” Linklater’s passion for baseball, ensemble casts, and themes of camaraderie is notably showcased in Everybody Wants Some!!—one can’t help but wonder if the chance to return to those themes with substantial financial backing plays a significant role here. This is undoubtedly one of the more exciting aspects of the project.