Al Pacino, the man who has been leaving us awestruck with his performances in classics like Scarface, Godfather and so on is seen looking withered and downtrodden in the trailer released by HBO for the film Paterno, based on Joe Paterno.

From the very distant stares in between scenes of players on the gridiron, when Jerry Sandusky is arrested and when journalists are questioning him, we know he would not fail to amaze us with his acting skills once again.

But, who is Joe Paterno?

He is the legendary American football college coach who had a 46-year stint at the Penn State. He was one of those NCAA football coaches who had a successful career with a lot of wins. His fame and glory all came crashing down within a period of two weeks when he was dismissed for the knowledge of a crime that Jerry Sandusky had committed. 

After 12 days of it being out in the open that Joe Paterno knew that Jerry Sandusky had raped a young boy but not informed the police, he was fired over a phone call. This biopic shows his journey from a life of glory to nothing. After his dismissal in 2011, his popularity made the students riot for the firing of their beloved coach but he died soon after in 2012. His legacy was challenged to make him face questions of institutional failure on behalf of the victims.

The film will focus on the aftermath of the scandal and undoubtedly end in a tragic manner. However, it will not answer any questions about to what extent Paterno did know about the scandal and whether he took appropriate action against Sandusky, who was convicted of child sex abuse, at the time.

The director of this biopic, Barry Levinson said, “The film lays out the elements of the story and leaves you to make your own judgment. There are times when you may feel one way, and times when you may feel a totally different way, and I think that’s what makes the piece so compelling.”

Six years after his death, the legacy and consequent tragedy to the name of Paterno are reborn through his memory in this film. The Academy Award-winning actor, Al Pacino, dreamily searches for an answer as Paterno to his son’s question, “Dad, did you know about Jerry?” in the trailer which you can watch here – 

The official date of release of this film has not been set, but it shall air sometime this spring.