Unitas We Stand: Joe Flacco Will Play Johnny Unitas in New Movie
By Josh Sanchez
Super Bowl winning quarterback Joe Flacco is set to play the role of former Baltimore Colts star Johnny Unitas in an upcoming film. The film, titled Unitas We Stand, is based off of Tom Callahan’s biography Johnny U: The Life and Times of Johnny Unitas.
Johnny Unitas’ son, Joe Unitas, co-wrote the script for the film and recently told the Baltimore Sun that Flacco will be filling the role in the upcoming movie.
“Obviously, the Baltimore ties are very important to me,” Unitas said, via the Baltimore Sun. “I think it’s great that Joe just won the Super Bowl with the Ravens and was Most Valuable Player in the game. A lot of the way Joe plays and his demeanor reminds me a lot of my dad. He’s not a rah-rah guy. He throws a touchdown and maybe there’s a little fist pump. He understands his job is all about winning and he does a phenomenal job leading the offense and the team and obviously they’ve developed a lot of trust after becoming a champion. He’s an awesome teammate and great leader of the team.
“He does things the right way and is a good role model for kids and he gets what hard work is and does everything he can for the team. There are a lot of parallels that can be drawn between Joe and my dad. My production team is very fortunate and thankful that he’s dedicated to help us and play my dad. I know he doesn’t do a lot of things away from the game, and football players’ time off in the offseason is very valuable. For him to take time away and commit to doing this is very humbling.”
The only problem ahead for the film is funding. Unitas and others are rallying to raise money for their project that has a projected budget is $12.8 million. All proceeds from the film will be donated to USA Football and Gridiron Greats.
Filming is scheduled to begin on July 15.
Flacco is admittedly one of the most boring personalities in sports, so it will be interesting to see how he lights up once the cameras are rolling.
If you want to learn more about the film, check out the the official Unitas We Stand website.