De Niro tackles role of football great Lombardi

Robert De Niro, who captured an Oscar for portraying boxer Jake LaMotta in Raging Bull, is taking on another sports legend, football coach Vince Lombardi.

ESPN Films, an offshoot of the sports cable network, has announced plans to make a biopic about the NFL head coach who took Wisconsin's Green Bay Packers from worst team in the league to two-time Super Bowl champs.

"Having an icon portray an icon on film is amazing," said Ron Semiao, senior vice-president of ESPN Films.

The script will be written by Eric Roth, who was also the writer behind Forrest Gump, and will focus on Lombardi's time with thePackers during the 1960s, when he coached them to five NFL championship victories.

"There are few actors who could accurately portray the fire, passion and grit of Lombardi, and we're thrilled to have Robert De Niro on our team," said Charles Coplin, the NFL vice-president of programming.

The Brooklyn-born Lombardi began his professional football career with the New York Giants in 1954.In 1959, he was invited to be head coach of the Green Bay Packers and in his second year led the team to an NFL championship game.

Lombardi died in 1970 and since 1971, the Super Bowl winnerhas beenhanded the Vince Lombardi Trophy.

Lombardi the movie is expected to be released just prior to the 2012 Super Bowl.