Mackie as Owens?

If you know who Jesse Owens is, congrats, you’re a scholar. If you don’t, buy a history book. I’m sorry, that sounded elitist. Let me restart. In 1936, Jesse Owens, an African-American sprinter went to Berlin to compete in the summer Olympic Games in front of some dick named Adolf, who at the time was spewing some bullshit about a superior race (the white one). Owens went on to win four gold medals, in what amounted to a massive Hitler punk. Then he got back to the U.S., and because he was black, they kinda punked him. Why this story hasn’t been told on film, I don’t know. Sports flick, Nazi flick, Oscar flick, right?

Well, charismatic and underrated actor Anthony Mackie who stole HALF-NELSON (and plays Tupac in the upcoming film (NOTORIOUS), has been set to play Owens since ’06. But since then, little has been said about the movie. Well, BlackBook.com recently asked the actor about the flick’s status in New York, and he had some interesting things to say. Apparently, it’s still happening. Mackie says:

It’s going to be a big thing. We’re chronicling his life from birth, to the ticker-tape parade down Park Avenue to The Waldorf Astoria, where he does all this stuff and basically defeats the German Empire. Then he gets to the Waldorf Astoria and he has to go around the back entrance.

Sounds dope. Click HERE to read the rest of what Mackie had to say about the flick, and to see a pic of how he compare physically to Owens. I say it’s pretty decent, but do you think they could find a better actor for the role? Derek Luke maybe? Let me know.