With production underway on Brian Helgeland's Jackie Robinson biopic "42," we now have a number of set photos that provide us our first looks at newcomer Chadwick Boseman and "Shame" star Nicole Beharie respectively portraying Robinson and his wife, Rachel Isum.
The story, of course, centers the rise of Robinson, the first African-American baseballer in the Major League, and the controversy that surrounded the move, with another actor also added to the roster in Lucas Black (star of the original "Friday Night Lights" movie) who'll play shortstop Pee Wee Reese, a Dodgers player who embraced Robinson as soon as he joined. Cast also boasts Jon Bernthal as starting pitcher Ralph Branca, Christopher Meloni as in-fielder Leo Durocher, T.R. Knight as travelling secretary Harold Parrott, John C. McGinley as journalist Red Barber and Ryan Merriman as right-fielder Fred "Dixie" Walker.
No sign just yet of Harrison Ford, who plays Dodgers manager Branch Rickey, but the set pics do get the sport, and sport movie, fan in us very excited. There's also a couple of creepy mannequin pictures at the bottom which exhibit the production's cost-cutting methods — instead of 5000 extras that you have to feed and manage, why not just rent 5000 inflatables to fill out a stadium? "42" will be in theaters April 12th next year. [BirminghamMail via Shadow&Act]
I am an Indian Bollywood (Tamil) Actor, proud to be part of this Amazing Hollywood Movie 🙂 It's a Great opportunity for me. Good Luck for the Team !
Nawin Seetharaman
Chattanooga, TN (USA)
Writer/director Brian Helgeland will be at the Austin Film Festival this October! Go to http://www.austinfilmfestival.com for more information!
Every still looks wrong. Jackie wouldn't stick his hands in his pockets in a still photo looking arrogantly at the camera. He was internally defiant, not externally, it's why Rickey chose him to break the color line. The photo of Rachel almost mugging for the camera would never have happened. She was sedate, self-controlled, not trying to look happy for the camera, EVER. The shot of the impersonator playing Jackie running to the next base doesn't look like his body language, which was hands flailing, body controlled. This film looks like it was made by folks not at all familiar with even the surface look of the principals, a slapdash and forgettable bioflick.
So many mistakes in this! Leo Durocher was a manager in the 1940s. He was retired as a player. Branch Rickey wasn't the Dodgers' manager, he was their President and General Manager.