The movie theaters are open around the country, featuring some of the best in cinema in every genre. A story surrounding former NFL MVP Kurt Warner will provide plenty of insight into the former quarterback and those around him during his improbable run with the 1999 St. Louis Rams.
The new film is titled “American Underdog: The Kurt Warner Story.” It stars actor Zachary Levi as Warner, featuring his rise to fame from a journeyman quarterback struggling to keep a job. The film will also showcase plenty of the people around Warner, including his then-head coach Dick Vermeil, who actor Dennis Quaid plays in the biopic. Vermeil famously rolled the dice on naming Warner an unproven backup as his starting quarterback after starter Trent Green suffered a season-ending knee injury in the preseason.
Chase your dream. Watch an exclusive behind-the-scenes look of American Underdog – in theaters this December. pic.twitter.com/IQbjwLTsgO
— American Underdog (@AmericanUnderdg) July 7, 2021
Vermeil spent three seasons as the Rams head coach, briefly retiring after winning Super Bowl XXXIV. He would coach the Kansas City Chiefs for four seasons, notably winning the AFC West in 2003 with a 13-3 record. Warner’s biopic is set for release on December 10th isn’t the first time Vermeil has been portrayed in a film as he was also featured in the 2006 film “Invincible.”
Actor Greg Kinnear played Vermeil in that biopic about former Philadelphia Eagles longshot Vince Papale. In an ESPN interview set around that film’s release, Vermeil praised Kinnear’s performance due to his son’s evaluation.
”My son called me,” said Vermeil, ”and his exact words were, ‘Dad, he nailed you.’ He said it will be scary for me to see someone else being me and doing it so well! That’s a funny thought, huh? And I think my son was especially interested in what it would be like to see someone else playing his dad; he was very impressed. My son’s known me for 49 years, so you can’t fool him; he’s been looking at me for a long time.”
— American Underdog (@AmericanUnderdg) July 7, 2021
We haven’t heard any early reviews on Quaid’s performance yet, but there is a glimpse of the former Chiefs coach in the trailer. Any chance Vermeil’s tenure in Kansas City will have a moment on the big screen one day as well?
“American Underdog: The Kurt Warner Story” is slated for December 10th release.
[vertical-gallery id=95080]