The Longest Yard: According to Variety, Former NFL players Brian Bosworth, Michael Irvin and Bill Romanowski have signed on for parts in Paramount/Sony's remake of The Longest Yard, starring Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, James Cromwell and Burt Reynolds.

The trio will be cast in the same positions they played while pro players. Bosworth and Romanowski will be linebackers on the team of prison guards while Irvin will play a wide receiver on the team of convicts.

Sandler persuaded Dallas Cowboys star Irvin to take the part after thesp demonstrated his athletic chops against Irvin in a one-on-one basketball game.

The original 1974 pic starred Reynolds and featured an array of NFL players, including Pervis Atkins, Joe Kapp, Ray Nitschke, Sonny Sixkiller and Ernie Wheelwright.

Production on Yard, produced by Happy Madison and MTV Films, will begin later this month at the Old State Penitentiary in New Mexico, with Peter Segal directing a script by Sheldon Turner. Happy Madison partner Jack Giarraputo is producing; Par exec VP Brian Witten is overseeing the project, set for release in May.