Robert Redford will step into the shoes of Brooklyn Dodgers executive Branch Rickey for a new biopic that explores his relationship with pioneering ballplayer Jackie Robinson.

Branch Rickey was the man who signed Jackie Robinson to play for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1945, breaking the color barrier as the first African-American player in Major League Baseball. The movie will focus more on the complex relationship between Branch Rickey and Jackie Robinson, than the historical signing. It is believed by some that Branch Rickey integrated baseball more for economic reasons, while Jackie Robinson faced an onslaught of prejudice after becoming a Dodger. While Robert Redford will play Branch Rickey, the Jackie Robinson has not been cast yet. Here's what Robert Redford had to say about the project.

"No one really knows the Rickey part, the political maneuvers and the partnership they had to share. It's the story underneath the story you thought you knew."

Brian Helgeland (L.A. Confidential, Mystic River) will write and direct this untitled drama, with Thomas Tull's Legendary Pictures financing the project. The company has a first-look deal with Warner Bros., so it is likely the movie will end up there. No production schedule was revealed.