Al Pacino Cast As Lead In HBO’s Penn State Sexual Abuse Scandal Movie

Al Pacino has just been cast in HBO’s yet-to-be-titled movie about the Penn State sexual abuse scandal.

According to TV Line, the actor will play the role of the late college football legend Joe Paterno. Pacino will reunite with director Barry Levinson for the project. The film will focus on how Paterno’s legacy was challenged in the wake of Jerry Sandusky’s sexual assault scandal.

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Paterno and Sandusky worked together as coach and assistant coach at the prestigious institution. However, the former’s reputation was put at risk after the latter was accused of sexually abusing young boys over a 15-year period from 1994 to 2009.

Levinson will serve as director and executive producer of the film. He will team up with Tom Fontana, Jason Sosnoff, Ed Pressman, Rick Nicita and Lindsay Sloane, who will all be executive producing the film. Writers Debora Cahn, John C. Richards and David McKenna will be penning the script.

Pacino’s new HBO movie was announced as early as 2013. At the time, Brian De Palma was supposed to helm a film that was based on Joe Posananki’s book, “Paterno.” However, HBO suspended the production until further notice due to budget problems.

Meanwhile, this is not the first time that Pacino will be teaming up with HBO. The award-winning actor has already headlined three films under the cable network. He and Levinson also worked in “You Don’t Know Jack” in 2010. Pacino won Emmy and Golden Globe awards for his impressive portrayal of Dr. Jack Kevorkian in the film, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Pacino’s other film credits include “Scarface,” “Scent of a Woman,” “Dog Day Afternoon,” “Heat,” “The Devil’s Advocate,” “The Godfather II” and more. Levinson, on the other hand, most recently worked with Robert De Niro in HBO’s film, “The Wizard of Lies.” At present, the movie is creating buzz after it premiered last month. Levinson’s other credits include “Sleepers,” “Good Morning, Vietnam” and “Wag the Dog.” The latter is being developed as a comedy series for the same network.

As of late, the release date for Levinson and Pacino’s movie hasn’t been announced.