It’s been a few years since we’ve seen Kevin Costner tackle the sports genre, which he’s mastered over the years in the likes of Tin Cup and** Field Of Dreams**. Now Disney wants him to star in McFarland for Whale Rider director Niki Caro.
Based on a true story from the 1980s, McFarland follows the travails of a track-and-field coach trying to build a team in the small California town.
Looking to form a squad at the local high school, he faced social and physical hurdles but – because this is going to be an inspirational Disney film – was able to overcome them and craft a team that ended up as champions.
The Mouse House has $17 million to spend on the film and producers Mark Ciardi and Gordon Gray, who have previously found success in the genre with Miracle, Invincible and Secretariat.
Costner, last seen on screen in The Company Men, will be part of the sprawling Man Of Steel cast when it arrives on June 14, 2013.