Lou Gehrig's Story Returns
Glen Powell and Richard Linklater Reunite for Universal's Lou Gehrig Biopic
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Key Points
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Simon Rich, an SNL veteran who wrote the biopic Artificial about Sam Altman, will write the Gehrig film.
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Erik Baiers, Universal's Senior EVP Production Development, will oversee the project for the studio.
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Powell and Linklater are teaming for their fifth collaboration, following previous projects together.
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Gehrig’s career stats extend beyond the games streak: 17 seasons with the Yankees, 2,721 hits and 493 home runs.
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The project nods to Hollywood history with The Pride of the Yankees (1942), which starred Gary Cooper and won an Oscar for editing.
Glen Powell will play Lou Gehrig in an untitled biopic at Universal Pictures, directed by Richard Linklater, according to AOL and Bleacher Report. The project marks their fifth film together and their biggest collaboration since the 2016 college comedy Everybody Wants Some!!
Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels will produce the film through Broadway Video. Simon Rich, an SNL veteran who also wrote the Sam Altman biopic Artificial, will write the screenplay, AOL reports.
Powell and Linklater's Fifth Film Together
Powell and Linklater first worked together on Fast Food Nation in 2006. They have since made Apollo 10½: A Space Age Childhood and Hit Man together. The Gehrig biopic is their fifth collaboration in nearly 20 years, according to Bleacher Report.
Powell will produce through his Barnstorm banner alongside Dan Cohen. Linklater will direct through Detour Filmproduction. Universal's Senior EVP of Production Development, Erik Baiers, will oversee the project for the studio, AOL reports.
The Iron Horse Legacy Powell Must Bring to Life
Lou Gehrig played 2,130 consecutive games for the New York Yankees over 17 seasons. He finished his career with 2,721 hits and 493 home runs. In 1934, he won the Triple Crown, hitting 49 home runs and driving in 166 runs. The Yankees won six World Series titles during his era.
In 1939, Gehrig was diagnosed with ALS — a fatal nerve disease now often called Lou Gehrig's disease. He gave a farewell speech at Yankee Stadium that same year, calling himself "the luckiest man on the face of the earth." He died in 1941 at age 37. The film is expected to capture both his greatness and that goodbye, according to Bleacher Report.
Hollywood Has Told This Story Before
Gehrig's life first reached the big screen in The Pride of the Yankees in 1942. Gary Cooper starred in that film, which won an Academy Award for editing. The new Powell-Linklater project will join that legacy but with a fresh creative team behind it, Q93FM notes.
Simon Rich brings strong Hollywood and TV credentials to the script. Beyond his SNL writing work, he wrote Artificial, a biopic about OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. That background in real-person storytelling makes him a clear fit for the Gehrig project, according to AOL.
No Start Date Yet as Project Enters Early Development
No production start date or release window has been announced. The project is still in its early stages. Universal and Broadway Video hold a first-look deal that brought this team together, according to Bleacher Report and My Central Oregon.
The creative lineup — Linklater directing, Rich writing, and Michaels producing — signals that Universal is treating this as a prestige project. But with no shooting schedule set, fans of Powell and Gehrig alike will have to wait for more details.
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