It's generally considered to be one of the ugliest scandals ever to rock college sports: the Penn State football program's history of sex abuse. Legendary coach Joe Paterno, who passed away in 2012 due to complications from lung cancer, had his storied legacy in the NCAA tarnished as a result and now HBO is looking to peel back the layers of the disgraced former bench boss in their upcoming film, aptly named Paterno.
Starring grizzled veteran Al Pacino in the title role, the premium cable giant released a teaser trailer, giving fans a glimpse into the mindset of the embattled coach as he navigates through the horrifying details brought to light by the media's extensive coverage of the scandal, with many of the sex abuse claims surrounding former Penn State employee Jerry Sandusky. Check out the entire teaser below.
The trailer itself takes the form of a dreamy montage, with images of media scrums, crying men and fans chanting Paterno's name intercut with a morose-looking Pacino staring off into the distance, searching for the answer to a question he is asked by his son: if he knew about what Jerry Sandusky was doing to boys in the team's locker room.
Barry Levinson, the director hebind Rain Man and Sleepers, helmed this cinematic effort. Riley Keough also stars as journalist Sara Ganim, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Debora Cahn (Vinyl), David McKenna (Get Carter) and John C. Richards (Sahara) will also appear in the film. The movie is sure to be a difficult watch at times but, with the talent involved, there's no way that sports fans or Pacino fans should miss this one.
