Daniel Radcliffe is set to play Sebastian Coe in Gold, a drama depicting the rivalry between Olympic athletes Sebastian Coe and Steve Ovett in the years leading up to the 1980 Moscow Games. After beginning their rivalry in 1972 and trading records for years, the two runners met in a gloriously competitive showdown during the 1970 Olympics. Sebastain Coe is now a British politician.
Deadline is reporting that the British movie will reunite the actor with director James Watkins, who directed Radcliffe in the supernatural-period film The Woman in Black. Simon Beaufoy (Slumdog Millionaire, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire) and William Davies (Flushed Away, How to Train Your Dragon) have penned the screenplay, which is based on Pat Butcher’s book The Perfect Distance.
No word as yet on who has been cast as Steve Ovett.
This sounds like a great project for Radcliffe to get involved in. The real-life plot sounds like a mix of Rush and Chariots of Fire, and Beaufoy’s screenwriting abilities definitely attracts attention. Fingers crossed this develops into a fine picture.
Gold is to start production in the U.K. and Russia next April.
For those interested, here’s a look at the first of two eagerly anticipated meetings between Sebastian Coe and Steve Ovett in Moscow.
Source: Deadline
