After pulling off a rather convincing Johnny Unitas impression in Super Bowl XLVII, Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco is hoping to do the same on the silver screen.
The Baltimore Sun reported Saturday that Flacco has agreed to play the late Hall of FameColts passer in the upcoming film, "Unitas We Stand," according to Joe Unitas, Johnny's son.
"Obviously, the Baltimore ties are very important to me," Joe Unitas told the newspaper. "I think it's great that Joe just won the Super Bowl with the Ravens and was Most Valuable Player in the game. A lot of the way Joe plays and his demeanor reminds me a lot of my dad. He's not a rah-rah guy. He throws a touchdown and maybe there's a little fist pump. ... (Flacco) 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."
Flacco's role will be limited to playing an under-the-helmet Unitas in the film's final scenes, chronicling the Colts' 1958 championship win over the New York Giants. Still, that's heady territory considering Flacco's dad recently assessed his son's charisma level by acknowledging: "Joe is dull."
"I'm excited and honored by the opportunity to play Johnny Unitas," Flacco said in a statement on the film's official site, according to The Sun.
Joe Unitas and Nick Slatkin co-wrote the script based of Tom Callahan's best-seller, "Johnny U: The Life and Times of Johnny Unitas." The plan is to film the entire story in Baltimore this summer and get Flacco off-set in time to help the Ravens defend their Super Bowl title.
Just how Johnny U. would want it.
Follow Marc Sessler on Twitter @MarcSesslerNFL.
