Ray Romano is taking on the role of iconic basketball coach and broadcaster Jim “Jimmy V” Valvano in a new film starring and produced by the Emmy-winning actor, Deadline reports. The new film, which has yet to release a title, will cover everything from Valvano’s coaching ascent to the 1983 NCAA Championship with the North Carolina State Wolfpack to his unwavering optimism in the face of a devastating cancer diagnosis before his death in 1993.
Valvano’s famous “never give up” speech at the 1993 Espy awards not only made history as one of the award show’s biggest moments, it also helped inspire an entire movement fighting against the disease and helped launch the V Foundation for Cancer Research, which has raised more than $300 million as one of the biggest cancer research supporters in the U.S.
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Assisting in the production of the movie is Valvano’s family, which will provide key resources throughout filming. “We couldn’t be more excited to finally tell my father’s story in the form of a feature film, especially with Ray Romano and game1 as partners,” said Jamie Valvano, Jim and Pam Valvano’s middle daughter. “We had a front-row seat to one of the greatest stories of all time, and we are thrilled to share it with the entire world as well.”
“Jim Valvano has always been an inspiration to me,” added Romano in a statement. “I’m looking forward to working with the team at game1 as well as the Valvano Family to bring Jim’s incredible story and legacy to the screen.” Said game1 co-CEO Basil Iwanyk in a separate statement, “Jimmy V was not only one of the great college basketball coaches of this generation, but one of the most inspirational and impactful figures in the world in terms of his efforts to eradicate cancer. Ray is the perfect choice to not only help produce this film, but to play Jimmy V.” The film’s script will be written by Jim Strouse (Grace Is Gone, The Winning Season), and Romano will produce with game1’s Iwanyk, Greg Economou and Mark Ciardi (The Rookie).
