Reinaldo Marcus Green to Direct Roberto Clemente Biopic
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- Teton Ridge Entertainment hired Reinaldo Marcus Green to write, direct, and produce a Roberto Clemente feature film; a previous script draft came from Jaquén Castellanos.
- Clemente played 18 seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates, is one of only 33 players to record 3,000 hits, and died at 38 in a December 31, 1972 plane crash while delivering aid to Nicaraguan earthquake victims.
- Los Angeles Superior Court last month granted summary judgment in favor of Teton Ridge, dismissing all claims from Inside the Park, LLC that had challenged the studio's option and control of Clemente's life rights; Teton Ridge's cross-claims remain pending for trial.
- Teton Ridge also acquired rights to David Maraniss' biography "Clemente: The Passion and Grace of Baseball's Last Hero" and partnered with the Clemente Museum in Pittsburgh for exclusive access to the world's largest collection of memorabilia.
- Roberto Clemente Jr. endorsed the project in a statement, saying the family is "proud" and believes the story "deserves to be told with the integrity and excellence" his father "always embodied."
- Green, whose "King Richard" earned six Oscar nominations and a Best Actor win for Will Smith, is also developing a Tiger Woods biopic with Barack and Michelle Obama's Higher Ground; the film will be produced by Ben Silverman, Jay Weisleder, Chiara Bernasconi and Strike Three Films.
Why it matters: With last month's court victory clearing Inside the Park's challenge and consolidating Maraniss' definitive biography rights plus exclusive Clemente Museum access, Teton Ridge now controls the most comprehensive Clemente rights package ever assembled — and TWG Global's co-chairs, Dodgers controlling owner Mark Walter and Yankees minority owner Thomas Tull (who also serves on the Baseball Hall of Fame board), give the project unusual institutional baseball weight from day one.
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