Of course, everyone wants to work with Jack Nicholson, and while the legendary, 74-year-old actor has slowed down his pace in recent years, that hasn’t kept the offers from rolling in. In the past year it has been reported that Stephen Dorff was writing a vehicle for him and Nicholson to do together; Warren Beatty wants him for his gestating Howard Hughes movie, and he’s on the shortlist of actors Alexander Payne is going to chat with to lead his brewing father/son roadtrip tale “Nebraska.” Well, you can add one more to the list.
Vulture reports that Nicholson is being sought for Brian Helgeland‘s forthcoming Jackie Robinson biopic, now titled “42.” Acquired by Legendary Pictures over the summer, the film will tell the story the ball player’s color-barrier-smashing journey to the big leagues. Robert Redford was one of the early names tossed around to play Branch Rickey, who, as an executive of the Brooklyn Dodgers, first signed Robinson to the minor league squad before sending him up to the big show. But he’s currently busy on “The Company You Keep,” and it looks like the part is Nicholson’s now if he wants it.
Of course, this is just an offer, and who knows if Nicholson will want to play ball. But with the NBA season currently on hold, which means no L.A. Lakers games in the near future, he might be looking for something to do to occupy his time, and baseball pics seem to be in vogue once again thanks to the success of “Moneyball.” In addition to “42,” there’s also “Trouble With The Curve” gearing up with Clint Eastwood as an aging scout taking a road trip with his daughter who may be played by Sandra Bullock. So if you’ve got your own “Field Of Dreams” script, seems there’s no better time than right now to be knocking on doors in Hollywood.
