Oscar winner Jeremy Irons joins Jesse Owens drama “Race”

PanARMENIAN.Net - Jason Sudeikis and Oscar winner Jeremy Irons have joined the cast of the Jesse Owens drama “Race,” which has been acquired for U.S. distribution by Focus Features, TheWrap said.

Rising star Stephan James will play Olympic legend Owens, as TheWrap first reported.

Emmy winner Stephen Hopkins is directing the movie, which starts filming on July 24 in Montreal and on location at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin, where Owens won a record-breaking four Olympic gold medals in 1936.

The new film has the support of the Owens family, the Jesse Owens Foundation, the Jesse Owens Trust and the Luminary Group.

“Race” is based on the incredible true story of Jesse Owens, the legendary athletic superstar whose quest to become the greatest track and field athlete in history thrusts him onto the world stage of the 1936 Olympics, where he faced off against Adolf Hitler's vision of Aryan supremacy. An inspiring drama about one man's fight to become an Olympic legend, ”Race” will explore courage, determination, tolerance and friendship.

Tackling his first dramatic role on the big screen, Sudeikis will co-star as Owens’ obsessive coach and mentor Larry Snyder, who after a prestigious track career himself, became a coach at Ohio State University. Snyder coached athletes who set 14 world records and won eight Olympic gold medals.

Irons will portray Avery Brundage, the head of the American Olympic committee who fought to have the 1936 Olympics take place in Berlin.