'Borg/McEnroe' will trace the long-running battle in the 1970s and 1980s between McEnroe and Swedish star Bjorn Borg.
- May 15, 2016
AceShowbiz - Shia LaBeouf has landed his next movie role and it's something that he could relate to. The impulsive actor is playing confrontational tennis legend John McEnroe in a film titled "Borg/McEnroe".
LaBeouf elaborated his casting at the Cannes Film Festival on Sunday, May 15 where he was promoting "American Honey". He's been getting rave reviews about his performance in the Andrea Arnold-directed American odyssey as Jake.
"Jake is me. So is McEnroe. That's it man," LaBeouf said at the press conference. "I understand these people, I empathize with them. I get it. You turn things up and turn things down. It's me." In fact, so immersed was he in the McEnroe role that the non tennis player practiced himself out there. He said his backhand was "getting there".
McEnroe, considered one of the best tennis players ever, was known for his hostile on-court behavior, which often landed him in trouble with umpires and tennis authorities. Bjorn Borg was his long-standing Swedish nemesis and the two had 14 professional matches between 1978 and 1981 including the lauded Wimbledon finals in 1980 and 1981.
According to THR, Swedish actor Sverrir Gudnason is cast as Borg while Stellan Skarsgard will play Borg's coach Lennart Bergelin. "This is a very powerful drama that plunges deep into the minds of two extremely interesting personalities living in an explosive era. I am very honored and excited to be at the reigns of it," said director Janus Metz.
Shooting will begin this fall in Sweden, London, Monaco and New York to meet the 2017 release schedule. Ronnie Sandahl is penning the script.
