ESPN Movie: 'Those Guys Have All The Fun' Optioned To Film

The greatest film about a TV network ever produced, Sidney Lumet's "Network," foretold the coming major media spiral into backbiting, betrayal and sensationalism. A few years later, a little regional sports network began on shoe leather and charisma in Connecticut, and as it grew into a worldwide, multi-faceted empire, controversy was never found wanting.

The rivalries, vices and abundance of secrets that were byproducts of the network's rapid rise were detailed in the tell-all oral history, "Those Guys Have All The Fun," released this year by James Andrew Miller and Tom Shales, and now, those backstage stories, finally exposed in print, will come to light on the big screen, too. Deadline reports that 20th Century Fox is closing in on a deal to grab the film rights to the book, with Michael De Luca, Dana Brunetti and Julie Yorn producing.

De Luca and Brunetti, it should be noted, were two of the producers of another cultural landmark's tell-all story, last year's Facebook movie, "The Social Network." Alongside Scott Rudin, Relativity Media and Columbia Pictures, they presented the story of the drama that went into a seven year old website, so presumably, they should have no trouble spinning this 32-year history into a compelling drama.

Here's a description of the book from Amazon.com:

ESPN began as an outrageous gamble with a lineup that included Australian Rules Football, rodeo, and a rinky-dinky clip show called Sports Center. Today the empire stretches far beyond television into radio, magazines, mobile phones,the internet, video games and more, while ESPN's personalities have become global superstars to rival the sports icons they cover. Chris Berman, Robin Roberts, Keith Olbermann, Hannah Storm, Bill Simmons, Tony Kornheiser, Stuart Scott, Erin Andrews, Mike Ditka, Bob Knight, and scores of others speak openly about the games, shows, scandals, gambling addictions, bitter rivalries, and sudden suspensions that make up the network's soaring and stormy history. The result is a wild, smart, effervescent story of triumph, genius, ego, and the rise of an empire unlike any television had ever seen.

For more, click over to Deadline.

Comments

[Scot Rubin]

01:47 AM on 07/28/2011

Excellent read so far, will be fun to see this on the big screen.

[Mike Clark II]

06:08 PM on 07/27/2011

i read the book and these folks made THEMSELVES LOOK LIKE FOOLS! the folks who left, olbermann, patrick and some of the others? they came out of it sounding sane, but everyone who stayed or there now? they sounded like robots in the book, and HATED those who left. craig kilborn? man, those folks lit into him like there is no tomorrow! i can not wait for this

[nightfly4257]

10:57 AM on 07/27/2011

I already have a concern about the movie. Who the hell is goning to play the role of Keith Olbermann?

[kimota]

12:32 AM on 07/27/2011

Keith must have left the other Marx Bros at home that night.

[donnyboy44]

12:32 PM on 07/27/2011

I once shot a republican in my pajamas. How it got in my pajamas I'll never know.

[CarmenIbanez]

11:51 PM on 07/26/2011

I think Keith has a good case for an injunction against the showing of that mustache.

[KarateKid]

10:13 PM on 07/26/2011

Excuse me, Hannah Storm and Erin Andrews are NOT as big as the athletes they cover. Unless you count doing your hair in the _nude.

[Hay30]

01:41 PM on 07/27/2011

Seriously, that's uncalled for.

[Mike Clark II]

06:15 PM on 07/27/2011

no it is not. she is ESPN's golden girl now. heck she is now an endorser of reebok's reezig shoes... she is one of the first non athletes to do that...

[Chester Erickson]

10:15 PM on 07/26/2011

SPAM

[we-r-stardust]

07:53 AM on 07/27/2011

SPAMMER ....FLAG IT

[james4truth1066]

08:30 PM on 07/26/2011

Craig Kilborn and Keith O were the best combo that Sportscenter ever had.

[Spartan112]

10:05 PM on 07/26/2011

Keith and Dan Patrick. Kilborn is an over the top hack.

[dollfann1]

07:33 PM on 07/26/2011

Im a dolphins fan, and espn rarely showed good highlights, except if they lost, maybe if it was the featured game of the night and thats about it, no matter how bad the bills are berman always picks them against miami, i switched to the nfl network and never looked back, i dont care for other sports so im good

[The-JuRK]

07:32 PM on 07/26/2011

The photo answers the question for me: how would Groucho Marx and disgraced televangelist Jim Bakker look on a show together?

[BlackJAC]

06:55 PM on 07/26/2011

Will Sorkin be doing the script for this one, too?

[Spartan112]

06:50 PM on 07/26/2011

I'm about halfway through the book right now, it could make a very good movie. It has all the elements you would want.

[Squiriferous]

05:08 PM on 07/26/2011

I didn't know that Eugene Levy used to provide color commentary on ESPN. What gives?

[GeoNorth]

04:58 PM on 07/26/2011

Disney isn't making the film? What a surprise!

[happyblackman]

03:57 PM on 07/26/2011

I remember the early days. I can still watch Australian Rules Football and know what's going on on the field, and I long to watch a good tractor pulling contest, again!