Will Ferrell is attached to star in a biopic about tennis superstar Billie Jean King called The Battle of the Sexes says Variety.
The film will focus on her famous 'Battle of the Sexes' match against a then 55-year-old Bobby Riggs
(Ferrell) in 1973. Riggs claimed female tennis was inferior and challenged King
to a match. She declined, but women's tennis top player Margaret Court
accepted. Riggs beat her 6-2 6-1 thanks to his tricky use of drop
shots and lobs, he then went on to taunt all female tennis players.
King then accepted a lucrative financial offer to play Riggs in a
nationally televised match that the promoters dubbed the "Battle of the
Sexes" with 90 million worldwide audience tuning in. Having learned
lessons from Court's loss, King was prepared for Riggs' game and easily
beat him 6–4 6–3 6–3. Some have claimed Riggs' loss was on purpose
as a way to pay off gambling debts, a claim that was quickly denied.
Steve Conrad (The Pursuit of Happyness, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty) is writing the screenplay based on an article written for ESPN by Don Van Natta Jr.
Danny Boyle will call action on the film.
"Slumdog Millionaire" producer Christian Colson and writer Simon Beaufoy are also part of the project
Ferrell and Adam McKay will produce.
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