Race Archives - Big Gay Picture Show

It’s surprising it’s taken this long for someone to make a biopic about iconic athlete Jesse Owens, who famously won numerous gold medals at the Nazi-organised 1936 Olympic Games.

Selma star Stephan James plays Owens (John Boyega was originally cast before he went off to make Star Wars Episode VII), with Jeremy Irons, Jason Sudekis, and William Hurt also in the cast.

Here’s the synopsis: ‘Based on the incredible true story of Jesse Owens, the legendary athletic superstar whose quest to become the greatest track and field athlete in history thrusts him onto the world stage of the 1936 Olympics, where he faces off against Adolf Hitler’s vision of Aryan supremacy. “Race” is an enthralling film about courage, determination, tolerance, and friendship, and an inspiring drama about one man’s fight to become an Olympic legend.’

The movie will get a small Oscar qualifying run before expanding early next year. [Read more…]

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ACTORS: Stephan James FILMS: Race

It’s been revealed that Focus Features has picked up US rights to the Jesse Owens biopic, Race, and with that news comes the info that Jason Sudeikis and Jeremy Irons, in the spectacular true story of Olympic legend Jesse Owens, who will be portrayed by rising star Stephan James. Mister Smith Entertainment is handling worldwide sales on Race.

John Boyega was previously announced to play Owens himself.

Stephen Hopkins will direct the movie, which starts shooting on July 24th in Montreal and on location at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin.

The movie is ‘based on the incredible true story of Jesse Owens, the legendary athletic superstar whose quest to become the greatest track and field athlete in history thrusts him onto the world stage of the 1936 Olympics, where he faces off against Adolf Hitler’s vision of Aryan supremacy. Race is an enthralling film about courage, determination, tolerance, and friendship, and an inspiring drama about one man’s fight to become an Olympic legend.

‘Sudeikis will star as Owens’ obsessive coach and mentor Larry Snyder, who, after a prestigious track career himself, became a coach at Ohio State University. Snyder coached athletes who set 14 world records and won eight Olympic gold medals.

‘Irons will portray Avery Brundage, the head of the American Olympic committee who fought to have the 1936 Olympics take place in Berlin.’

It’s about as official a movie as you can get, as the movie has the support of the Owens family, the Jesse Owens Foundation, the Jesse Owens Trust and the Luminary Group.