Robert Redford Playing Branch Rickey In Jackie Robinson Film

Robert Redford is set to make baseball history, and he won't need Wonderboy to do it.

The acting legend told The Los Angeles Times that his long-planned biopic of Baseball Hall of Famer and barrier breaker Jackie Robinson is back on track, and that he'll play Branch Rickey, the Brooklyn Dodgers executive who scouted and signed Robinson.

The film, the paper reports, will focus more on Robinson and Rickey's relationship than the shock they put into the baseball world.

"No one really knows the Rickey part, the political maneuvers and the partnership they had to share," Redford said. "It's the story underneath the story you thought you knew."

Redford, of course, played Roy Hobbs in the beloved big screen adaptation of "The Natural," the tale of an all-time talent and his magical bat given one last chance to shine.

In January, Redford spoke with AARP Magazine about his future in film -- a future he still desires, despite what some may think.

"There are movies I want to make," he said. "For a long time I've wanted to do a thriller. I like being scared, and I like scaring. And I want to keep acting, though I think the business has concluded that I don't want to act anymore."

Redford last appeared on the big screen in 2007's "Lions for Lambs," which he also directed.

For more, click over to The Los Angeles Times.