Next April, just in time for the the 2013 baseball season, marks the release of ’42.’
The film takes a look back at the groundbreaking debut of Major League Baseball’s first African-American player, Jackie Robinson.
Little-known actor Chadwick Boseman will play the Hall Of Fame player, who made his debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. Alongside Bundwick are several more familiar names, including Harrison Ford as famous baseball executive Branch Rickey, and Christopher Meloni as general manager Leo Durocher.
Director Brian Helgeland (‘A Knight’s Tale,’ ‘Payback’) takes a look at the famous story of Robinson’s recruitment and debut. Born in Georgia and raised in California, Robinson won varsity letters in four sports (baseball, football, basketball, and track) at UCLA. After WWII, Robinson accepted an offer to play in the Negro leagues, and was eventually recruited by Rickey for Brooklyn.
The trailer throws a little modern flair on the well-known story, with Jay-Z’s “Brooklyn (Go Hard)” setting the score.
’42’ opens in theaters April 12, 2013.
Watch the ’42’ trailer below:
