Chiwetel Ejiofor Should Play Pele
Over on the Hollywood Reporter, they’ve got a piece on the possibility of a biopic about Pele, the, uh, Wayne Gretzky of soccer…er…football:
Dubbed the “king of football,” Pele’s life is ripe for cinematic treatment. He reportedly was responsible for a 48-hour cease-fire during a civil war in Nigeria so that people could watch him play. He officially was declared a national treasure by the government of his native Brazil.
Okay, in truth it’s more like Gretzky was the Pele of hockey, but you get the idea.
I’m a huge fan of Chiwetel Ejiofor (you may have seen him in Serenity, Inside Man and Dirty, Pretty Things), and I think he’s ideal for the role. I don’t know what his soccer skills are like, though.
Bonus fact: Ejiofor’s friends call him ‘Chewie’.
alexis