A couple of casting decisions have been made for what will undoubtedly be, at least in the world of college football, a highly-anticipated movie that will delve into the fall of a coaching icon.
As relayed by PennLive.com, veteran actress Kathy Baker will tackle the role of Sue Paterno, wife of former Penn State head football coach Joe Paterno for a half-century until his death in 2012, in an upcoming HBO film. It’s expected the film, which is currently untitled and hasn’t even a general release date, will be centered around the Jerry Sandusky child-rape scandal that led to Paterno’s firing and, just recently, three former high-ranking Penn State administrators sentenced to jail time for their failures. Paterno passed away just over two months after his dismissal following a short battle with cancer.
Baker won three Emmy Awards in the mid-nineties for her portrayal of Dr. Jill Brock on the CBS drama Picket Fences. She’s also appeared in such movies as Edward Scissorhands, The Cider House Rules and Saving Mr. Banks. Currently, she plays a recurring role on the outstanding Netflix series The Ranch.
In addition to Baker, Greg Grunberg has been cast to play Scott Paterno, one of the sons of the College Football Hall of Famer. Grunberg’s most notable role came on the NBC series Heroes, while his film credits include Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
It had previously been reported that Oscar-winning actor Al Pacino would play Paterno in the film. Additionally, Riley Keough will play Sara Ganim, who at the age of 24 won a Pulitzer Prize for her reporting on the scandal.
