Ray Romano will star in a movie about the late Jim Valvano.
Deadline is reporting the “Everybody Loves Raymond” will also produce the film about the life and career of the former N.C. State coach.
The script will be written by Jim Strouse, who wrote “The Winning Season.” Romano will produce with game1′s Basil Iwanyk, Greg Economou and Mark Ciardi (The Rookie), per the report.
“Jim Valvano has always been an inspiration to me,” Romano told Deadline. “I’m looking forward to working with the team at game1 as well as the Valvano Family to bring Jim’s incredible story and legacy to the screen.”
The Valvano family, per the report, will provide “key resources for the film, serving as executive producers.”
“We couldn’t be more excited to finally tell my father’s story in the form of a feature film, especially with Ray Romano and game1 as partners,” Jamie Valvano, Jim and Pam Valvano’s middle daughter, told Deadline. “We had a front-row seat to one of the greatest stories of all time, and we are thrilled to share it with the entire world as well.”
Valvano led the “The Cardiac Pack” to an NCAA national championship in 1983, defeating the heavily favored Houston Cougars with a buzzer-beating dunk. He was fired in April 1990 after a controversy over allegations of academic negligence.
He was diagnosed with metastatic bone cancer in 1992 and gave his “Don’t Give Up” speech during the first ESPY awards in 1993.
Valvano died in 1993.
Mark Heim is a sports reporter for The Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Mark_Heim.
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