Skip to main content
SI

Al Pacino to star as Penn State's Joe Paterno in HBO biopic

NEW YORK (AP) Al Pacino will star as late Penn State football coach Joe Paterno in an upcoming HBO biopic directed by Barry Levinson. HBO says the film will

NEW YORK (AP) Al Pacino will star as late Penn State football coach Joe Paterno in an upcoming HBO biopic directed by Barry Levinson.

HBO says the film will focus on Paterno dealing with the fallout from the child sex abuse scandal involving his former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky. The all-time winningest coach in major college football history was fired days after Sandusky's Nov. 2011 arrest and died two months later at the age of 85.

College Football Bracket Challenge

GET READY TO COMPETE

Pick your champion (you can change it later). We’ll email you when brackets open.

No purchase necessary. 50 U.S./D.C. 18+. Entry opens 3PM ET Dec 6, 2026 and closes 8PM ET Dec 18, 2026. Void where prohibited.See for complete details. The College Football Playoff (CFP) is not a sponsor or administrator of this contest.

A report commissioned by the university and conducted by a team led by former FBI Director Louis Freeh concluded that Paterno and three administrators hushed up the allegations against Sandusky.

The three administrators were sentenced to jail terms Friday. One of them, former university President Graham Spanier, plans to appeal his conviction.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Published | Modified