Who Would You Cast as Tom Landry?

I ask only because this morning, Variety reports that ESPN and the National Football League are collaborating on a biopic called Lombardi -- you'll never guess who it's about. Notes the trade, the film about the Green Bay Packers coach will be released in theaters the weekend before the 2011...

By Robert Wilonsky

July 28, 2009

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "18855504",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "17105533",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18349797",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17105532",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18349797",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17105535",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        }
      ]

I ask only because this morning, Variety reports that ESPN and the National Football League are collaborating on a biopic called Lombardi -- you'll never guess who it's about. Notes the trade, the film about the Green Bay Packers coach will be released in theaters the weekend before the 2011 Super Bowl at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington. It's kind of fitting, given the movie's subject matter:

The film will highlight the long rivalry between Lombardi and Dallas Cowboys' coach Tom Landry, who were line coaches on the New York Giants team that lost the 1958 championship game considered to be the greatest ever played. They had different styles -- Landry was cool, Lombardi fire and brimstone -- and their teams battled in 1967's "Ice Bowl," the championship game played in temperatures that reached 13 below zero.

Ed Harris would be the logical choice, sure, but at 58, he's too old to play Landry in his 30s and 40s. Which leaves ...?

KEEP THE OBSERVER FREE... Since we started the Dallas Observer, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Dallas, and we'd like to keep it that way. Your membership allows us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls. You can support us by joining as a member for as little as $1.