Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco is the highest-paid player in NFL history, he's the reigning Super Bowl MVP and pretty soon, he'll be able to add something else to his résumé: Actor. Flacco is set to portray former Baltimore Colts quarterback Johnny Unitas in an upcoming movie about Unitas' life, according to the Baltimore Sun.
Flacco won't be the star of the movie, he'll only portray Unitas during the film's final scenes, which will depict the Colts 23-17 win over the New York Giants in the 1958 NFL Championship game.
Unitas, a third-year quarterback at the time, threw for 349 yards and a touchdown in Baltimore's overtime win.
Joe Unitas, Johnny's son, explained why Flacco was picked for the role.
"Obviously, the Baltimore ties are very important to me," Joe said. "A lot of the way Joe plays and his demeanor reminds me a lot of my dad. 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."
"Unitas We Stand" is scheduled to begin filming on July 15 with a budget of $12.8 million. Filming is scheduled to take nine to 12 weeks.
The movie is based on Tom Callahan's best-selling book: "Johnny U: The Life and Times of Johnny Unitas."
Joe Unitas is hoping that production will be wrapped in time for a February 2014 release date. "Of course, this would be perfect with the Super Bowl being in New York-New Jersey," Joe said of the release date. "Especially with it being a cold-weather championship following the 1958 game when my dad first burst on the national scene."
The 1958 championship game was played at Yankee Stadium.
Unitas played a total of 18 seasons in the NFL and won three championships, including a Super Bowl V win in January 1971. Unitas passed away in September 2002 at the age of 69.
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