Joe Flacco to play Johnny Unitas in upcoming biopic

By Chuck Schilken

April 7, 2013 12 AM PT

Joe Flacco is quickly emerging as a Baltimore football legend. In fact, he’s about to become the greatest quarterback in the city’s history.

Flacco has led the Ravens to the playoffs in all five of his NFL seasons. He threw 11 touchdown passes and no interceptions -- tying Joe Montana for most postseason touchdowns without a pick -- in helping the team claim its second Lombardi Trophy earlier this year. And he earned the Super Bowl MVP award in the process.

But none of that really has anything to do with the fact that Flacco will become Baltimore’s most loved player ever this summer ... thanks to the magic of the movies.

Flacco has signed on to play legendary Baltimore Colts quarterback Johnny Unitas in the football scenes of the upcoming motion picture “Unitas We Stand,” which will be released by NFL Films and is based on the Tom Callahan book: “Johnny U: The Life and Times of Johnny Unitas.”

“I’m excited and honored by the opportunity to play Johnny Unitas,” Flacco said in a statement on the official website for the film.

Though Unitas was 6-foot-1 and 194 pounds and Flacco is listed as 6-6 and 245 pounds, Joe Unitas still feels the Ravens quarterback is the perfect choice to play his father.

“A lot of the way Joe plays and his demeanor reminds me a lot of my dad,” Joe Unitas, a co-screenwriter and co-producer of the project, told the Baltimore Sun. “He’s not a rah-rah guy. He throws a touchdown and maybe there’s a little fist pump. He understands his job is all about winning and he does a phenomenal job leading the offense and the team and obviously they’ve developed a lot of trust after becoming a champion. He’s an awesome teammate and great leader of the team.

“He does things the right way and is a good role model for kids and he gets what hard work is and does everything he can for the team. There are a lot of parallels that can be drawn between Joe and my dad.”

Production, set to begin in mid-July and last from nine to 12 weeks, will be planned around Flacco’s schedule with the Ravens, Joe Unitas said.

The three-time NFL champion’s son added that he hopes the film will be a theatrical release, rather than go straight to TV, and that it will come out around the same time as the Super Bowl next year.

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