Albert Brooks is in talks to star alongside Will Smith and Alec Baldwin in Sony's Untitled Football Project, with Gugu Mbatha-Raw just closing a deal to join the cast as well.

The project is based on the GQ article Game Brain by Jeanne Marie Laskas, which follows Dr. Bennett Omalu as he became the first doctor to find chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in an NFL player, and brought his discovery to the public's attention.

The project is said to be in the same vein of whistleblower dramas such as The Insider, examining the long-term effects of suffering several concussions throughout a playing career, along with the corporate, cultural and political interest that help fuel the popular sport. No details were given for Albert Brooks and Gugu Mbatha-Raw's characters.

Peter Landesman is directing from his own adapted screenplay, with Ridley Scott, Giannina Facio, Michael Schaefer and Larry Shuman set to produce. It isn't known when production will get under way.

Albert Brooks most recently starred in Drive and This Is 40. Gugu Mbatha-Raw will next be seen in Jupiter Ascending.