Sony Pictures Entertainment announced today that it has slated its upcoming motion picture Concussion, starring Will Smith, for release on Christmas Day, 2015.
The film is based on the David vs. Goliath journey of Dr. Bennet Omalu, the forensic neuropathologist who made the first discovery of football-related brain trauma in a pro player and fought to bring awareness to the public. In his search for the truth behind the devastating malady, Omalu’s quest humanizes the price paid by professional athletes in impact sports but also by people who challenge the status quo as it exposes the political, cultural and corporate interests that fuel the business of sports.
Concussion also stars Alec Baldwin, Luke Wilson, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Arliss Howard, Paul Reiser, David Morse and Albert Brooks. Both written and directed by Peter Landesman, the film is based in part on the GQ article “Game Brain,” written by Jeanne Marie Laskas. The producers include Ridley Scott, Giannina Facio, David Wolthoff, Larry Shuman and Elizabeth Cantillon with David Crockett and Michael Schaefer executive producing. Hannah Minghella and Jonathan Kadin are overseeing the production for the studio.
Landesman’s production team includes director of photography Salvatore Totino, production designer David Crank, Academy Award-winning editor William Goldenberg, and costume designer Dayna Pink.
The Christmas Day release will see Concussion opening opposite Alejandro González Iñárritu’s The Revenant, the family adventures Monster Trucks and Alvin and the Chipmunks 4, and David O. Russell’s Joy Mangano biopic Joy, starring Jennifer Lawrence.
(Photo Credit: FayesVision / WENN.com)
