Director Barry Levinson Signs On for Hank Aaron Biopic

*Barry Levinson has inked a deal to direct a film about Hall of Famer Hank Aaron breaking Babe Ruth’s home run record, notes The Hollywood Reporter.

Producers Mike Tollin and Glenn Rigberg acquired the rights to the book “The Last Hero: A Life of Henry Aaron” by Howard Bryant, and recruited Levinson and writer Adam Mazer, who worked together on HBO’s Emmy-winning Jack Kevorkian biopic “You Don’t Know Jack.”

Levinson, who directed the 1984 baseball movie The Natural, helped Mazer develop the take for the story.

Barry Levinson

Aaron will serve as a consultant on the project, which focuses on the period of 1972 to 1974, when Aaron chased then shattered a sacrosanct record held for decades by Ruth, who hit 714 home runs during his career. Aaron and his supporters faced death threats and hate mail because some fans didn’t want a black man to break Ruth’s record.

“This was a difficult time in my life, but I’m confident we can all learn a little something from looking back at those times,” said Aaron, who ended his career with 755 homers.