First Images Of Al Pacino As Joe Paterno For HBO Film Released

The first images from the upcoming film about former Penn State football coach Joe Paterno‘s fall from grace have been released and show that the film’s star, Al Pacino, looks almost identical to the football coach.

The unnamed film from HBO will focus primarily on Paterno’s involvement in the Jerry Sandusky sexual abuse scandal the rocked the entire sporting world in November 2011. Paterno had just become the winningest coach in the history of college football when the scandal broke and because of this, and his apparent involvement, his legacy was quickly called into question. To this day, Paterno’s name is still embroiled with Sandusky’s crimes.

In the first picture released from the film, Pacino looks a lot like Paterno, who died in 2012. The film will be directed by Barry Levinson.

After playing Tony D’Amato in Any Given Sunday, the new Paterno film will be the second time the Academy Award winner will play a football coach.

During Sandusky’s trial, it was revealed that Paterno, who coached 46 seasons for the Nittany Lions, had intimate knowledge of the crimes and some claimed that he actively covered up it – Sandusky was Paterno’s assistant coach from 1969-1999.

In sworn testimony during the trial, Paterno himself admitted that he was aware of accusations of child molestation and rape against Sandusky. While no criminal charges were brought against him, an FBI investigation concluded that Paterno was instrumental in covering up his assistant coach’s heinous crimes.

Paterno announced he was to retire at the end of the 2011 season, in midst of the scandal, but Penn State promptly terminated him instead. Two months later, Paterno died due to complications from lung cancer.

The unnamed film is yet to have a release date.