Variety reports that British actor John Boyega has signed on for the role of famed Olympic athlete Jesse Owens in the upcoming biopic, RACE. Stephen Hopkins will direct the project penned by Anna Waterhouse and Joe Shrapnel.
According to the report, the story will center on Owens performance at the Berlin Olympics in 1936, winning four gold medals in the the 100-meter dash, the 200-meter dash, the long jump and the 400-meter relay. The athlete proved to the world that Hitler's espousal of Aryan supremacy was nothing more than a myth. Many consider Owens' performance at the Games among the greatest athletic feats in sports history.
Production on the project is scheduled to get underway this May in Belin and Montreal and will be shot of such locations as the actual Berlin Olympic stadium where Owens earned the four gold medals. A spring 2015 release is scheduled.
The 21-year-old Boyega can currently be see in Malik Vitthal's inner-city drama "Imperial Dreams," which had its debut at this year's Sundance Film Festival. The 21-year-old's film credits include 2011?s "Attack the Block" and 2012?s "Half of a Yellow Sun", co-starring Thandie Newton and Chiwetel Ejiofor.
"Race", which has been in development for the past two years, is supported by the Jesse Owens Foundation, the Jesse Owens Trust and the Luminary Group.
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