Filmmaker James Mangold (The Wolverine) is currently in early talks to direct a biopic centering on the life of iconic NFL quarterback Joe Namath.

If the filmmaker signs on, he will reunite with his 3:10 to Yuma screenwriters Derek Haas and Michael Brandt, who are writing the script.

After playing college football at the University of Alabama, under legendary head coach Robert 'Bear' Bryant, Joe Namath spent a bulk of his NFL playing career with the New York Jets, leading his team to an improbable upset victory in Super Bowl III over the highly-favored Baltimore Colts. He helped celebrate that win by opening the New York City bar Bachelors III on the Upper East Side. The quarterback was well known for his partying and womanizing ways, which helped earn him the nickname Broadway Joe, along with his penchant for wearing fur coats on the sidelines, which was later banned.

He retired from the NFL in 1977, making guest appearances in TV shows such as Fantasy Island, The Love Boat and The A-Team. He also served as a commentator on Monday Night Football, where, in 2004, he told sideline reporter Suzy Kolber, "I want to kiss you. I couldn't care less about the team struggling" during a New York Jets game. He checked himself into rehab later that year.

Elizabeth Gabler's Fox 2000 is backing the project, with Andrew Lazar and Cathy Konrad producing. Ironically enough, James Mangold was attached to direct a different Joe Namath Project back in 2010, which had Jake Gyllenhaal attached to star, although it never got off the ground.