Jason Sudeikis And Jeremy Irons Set For "Race"

The Wrap reports that Jason Sudeikis and Jeremy Irons have joined the biopic about American track and field legend Jesse Owens called "Race".

Stephan James will play Owens. Back in January actor John Boyega ("Attack the Block") was tipped to take the lead role.

Sudeikis will play Owens’ obsessive coach and mentor, Larry Snyder while Irons will portray Avery Brundage, head of the American Olympic committee who fought to stage the Games in Berlin

The film will be based on ESPN host Jeremy Schaap's book "Triumph," with David Seidler ("The King's Speech") writing the adapted script. Stephen Hopkins ("The Life and Death of Peter Sellers") is due to direct. At one point Antoine Fuqua ("Training Day," "Olympus Has Fallen") was attached to direct

Set against the backdrop of Berlin's 1936 Summer Olympics, it chronicles how the son of an Alabama sharecropper won a record four gold medals. Adolf Hitler had insisted Jews and Blacks not be allowed to participate, but relented when threatened with a boycott.

Gil Netter, Gail Berman and Lloyd Braun will produce the film.

 Production begins on July 24th in Montreal and Berlin.