Academy Award winning actor Jon Voight has been cast to play Paul “Bear” Bryant in the upcoming high school football movie titled “Woodlawn,” according to a report by Variety.
Birmingham filmmakers Jon and Andrew Erwin — commonly referred to as simply “the Erwin Brothers” — are the creative force behind the movie, which is currently being filmed in the Birmingham area.
More background from Variety:
The story is focused on star African-American player Tony Nathan and the spiritual awakening during 1973-74 season at Woodlawn High School in Birmingham amid forced integration of Alabama’s public high schools. Nathan was successfully recruited by Bryant to play for the University of Alabama and went on to a successful professional career.
The key event will be the 1974 Banks vs. Woodlawn game, which drew over 40,000 spectators at Legion Field, where filming took place recently at night during sub-freezing temps.
Voight won the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1978 for his portrayal of a paraplegic Vietnam veteran in Coming Home.
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