Kurt Warner Movie for 2015: 20th Century Fox to Make Movie of Christian Football Legend
The life rights of Christian football player Kurt Warner have been purchased by 20th Century Fox, which reportedly plans to create a feature film describing the athlete's harrowing and inspirational rise to success in the NFL.
"For so long people have told me my life story would make a great movie. I am humbled and thrilled to have found a team as excited as I am to make that happen," Warner said in a statement to Deadline. The film will be produced by Temple Hill, and a portion of the feature will be based on Warner's autobiography All Things Possible: My Story Of Faith, Football And The Miracle Season.
Warner has been described by many to have had the ideal "underdog" story in football, graduating from playing college football at Northern Iowa University to being dropped by the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent. Warner was then forced to work at a local grocery store to make ends meet before he was eventually picked up by the St. Louis Rams, ultimately going on to achieve three Super Bowl appearances, one Super Bowl victory, and three league MVP awards. Along with the Rams, Warner played for the New York Giants and the Arizona Cardinals.
As well as Warner's immense success in football, the star athlete has also expressed his dedication to his Christian faith, often times publicly thanking God for his successful career.
In 2009, when Warner led the Arizona Cardinals to their first ever Super Bowl, the quarterback told Fox's Terry Bradshaw: "There's one reason that I'm standing up on this stage today. That's because of my Lord up above. I've got to say thanks to Jesus, you knew I was going to do it, but I've got to do it."
Warner has also devoted volunteer time and money to the First Things First Foundation, a charity organization "dedicated to impacting lives by promoting Christian values, sharing experiences and providing opportunities to encourage everyone that all things are possible when people seek to put 'first things first,'" according to its official website.
"I am where I am because I believed and I never gave up […] and that is the message of the Kurt Warner First Things First Foundation. Brenda and I are living proof of the importance of having strong faith in God, in yourself and in your talents," Warner said in a statement on the website, referencing his wife Brenda, whom he met while in college.
Although there is no announced timetable for the film's release, Warner is to be considered for the Hall of Fame early in 2015, leading some to believe that the film's release could be timed to coincide with that event.
Warner retired after 12 seasons in the NFL in 2010, and he now resides with his wife, Brenda, and their seven children, in Arizona.