Al Pacino to Play Joe Paterno in Movie About Penn State Scandal

It didn't matter if you were a sports fan or not: around the end of last year, you were probably paying attention to the Penn State football program. Details about the horrible sex abuse scandal concerning Jerry Sandusky and the subsequent cover-up continued to surface until finally Joe Paterno, who served as head coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions for decades, was fired.

Even if the scandal had never happened, it was very likely that a movie would be made about Joe Paterno's life as, at one point, the winningest head coach in history. After the scandal, it was an inevitability: the story was bound to be adapted into a movie sooner rather than later.

According to Deadline, it's happening now: ICM Partners is shopping around a script based on a recent biography of Paterno's life. However, while the book focuses on Paterno's entire life and career, the movie will likely focus more on the last year or two as Paterno left Penn State in disgrace and died just weeks later.

Interestingly, Al Pacino is said to be attached to play Paterno in the biopic. It's a fitting job for Pacino: not only is it easy to see him looking the part pretty well, he's also no stranger to playing real people in biopics. That's especially true for controversial figures, as Pacino recently played Phil Spector in a recently-shot film and Jack Kevorkian in "You Don't Know Jack."

This is sure to be a controversial film, as some Penn State supporters will most likely object to any demonization of Paterno. Even those who don't support Paterno might find it exploitative to use these victims' stories for financial gain. On the other hand, these crimes too often go unreported, so perhaps a high-profile project like this one will help spread awareness and help future victims to get justice.

What do you think? Is a film about the Penn State scandal a good idea?