Truth can be just as prolific as fiction. Sure, Star Wars and Tolkien fantasies can spawn countless stories for fans, but there's also always room for another Abraham Lincoln biopic or World War II drama or TV series or movie based specifically on the nonfiction book Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream.
According to Variety, there's a new feature adaptation of H.G. Bissinger's 1990 publication in the works, and David Gordon Green, who is currently helming the Halloween reboot, will direct. Really, just never underestimate the appeal of great stories involving high school football in Texas, especially in Odessa, Texas.
Here's everything we know about the latest take on the Permian High School Panthers:
Will this be a sequel to the other movie or continuation of the TV series?
No, the new Friday Night Lights will be its own unique property, neither connected to Peter Berg's 2004 movie starring Billy Bob Thornton or the NBC show starring Kyle Chandler. It's also definitely unrelated to the lesser-known short-lived series Against the Grain, which was based on the book.
Will it repeat the same story as those other adaptations?
Well, the first movie was more faithfully based on the real-life characters in Odessa while both the TV shows were just loosely based on the book with renamed characters. The plan this time is to do another story inspired by the book, but with all new characters in yet another separate, small Texas town.
Who is writing this version?
Robert Schenkkan, who co-wrote the screenplay for Hacksaw Ridge and penned the Tony Award-winning play All the Way, has been tapped for the script.
What makes David Gordon Green the perfect director for Friday Night Lights?
He's a filmmaker known for his Southern charm and focus, he's already covered a regional Southern sport (minor league baseball in North Carolina) with his work on the show Eastbound & Down, and he calls Texas (Austin, specifically) his home.
