Act2, Arlook making Plunkett film

 

Athlete was first Latino QB to win Super Bowl

By TATIANA SIEGEL

 

Act2 Entertainment is teaming with former Gersh partner Richard Arlook to bring the story of Jim Plunkett, the first Mexican-American quarterback to win the Super Bowl, to the bigscreen.

Act2's Glenn Schwartzman, a Florida-based sports agent, acquired the life rights to Plunkett, the son of two blind parents who became a Heisman trophy winner and Super Bowl MVP.

Schwartzman recently formed Act2 with entrepreneur and investor Larry Reid to develop sports-themed content.  

"I put off (cooperating on a biopic) for so long because I'm a fairly private person," said Plunkett, who lives outside Palo Alto near his alma mater Stanford and is an on-air sports personality for the Oakland Raiders. "I would like to leave behind some kind of legacy. When my mother was alive, she didn't want to be perceived as a handicapped person. Now that she has passed away, I felt like the time was right."

Plunkett, who penned a book about his life and extraordinary football career in the early '80s, rose to fame after winning the Heisman and leading Stanford to an upset win in the Rose Bowl in 1971. Seven years after Plunkett was selected as the NFL's No. 1 draft pick, his career appeared to be over when he was waived by the San Francisco 49ers. The Oakland Raiders took a chance on him, and after sitting on the bench for two-plus seasons, he led the team to a victory in Super Bowl XV. Plunkett, who led the Raiders to another title two years later, retired in 1986.

"What really attracted me to this project, in addition to the great story, are the intangibles," Schwartzman said. "Jim's story is truly heroic. The fact that (he) is Mexican-American will work well to reach a broader audience both here and abroad."