John Scott charmed the NHL world with his appearance at the All-Star game this season, and now the career journeyman will get the chance to do the same with movie audiences around the world.
Scott's life story and hockey career will be adapted for a film by sportswriter Mitch Albom after Mandalay Sports Media acquired the rights to Scott's story, according to Deadline.com. The film news website reports that Albom will write the script, and that the film will be produced by Mike Tollin and Jon Weinbach of MSM. Albom will also serve as an executive producer on the project along with handling screenwriting duties.
Scott gained some considerable attention by NHL fans and on social media this season after being a write-in candidate for the All-Star game. Scott is an enforcer-type player and did not have the stats or the performance that most All-Star players have, but the fans wanted him in the game. Soon after that, Scott was traded from the Arizona Coyotes to the Montreal Canadiens, where he was assigned to the AHL.
Fans still wanted Scott in the game, and after refusing to withdraw from the competition, the league opted to keep Scott involved. Scott was named the captain of the Pacific Division team and he ended up winning the MVP award for the game. Scott was by far the biggest story for All-Star weekend. The story almost seems to be written for Hollywood.
Albom has spent his career as a sportswriter and author, frequently appearing on ESPN's Sports Reporters. Albom writes for the Detroit Free Press and has written multiple noovels, including "Tuesdays With Morrie" and "The Five People You Meet In Heaven." Albom described Scott's story as a tournament player as one that many people can relate to, and he said that he sees Scott as a Rocky Balboa-type figure from the "Rocky" movie series.
ESPN writes that Albom has a relationship with Tollin and the two are good friends from their years working in the sports industry. The film idea came up before the All-Star game, and later on, Scott and his representatives opted to bring Tollin and Albom to the project.
"This just seemed to be a story that'll hold up," Albom said, according to ESPN. "And for people that don't know that it's a true story, and they watch it if it becomes a movie, they're going to be pinching themselves, going, 'Oh, c'mon. They had to make that up.' We don't have to make anything up."
