Imagine Entertainment’s Pelé biopic, titled “Pelé: Birth of a Legend,” was finally released last year – May 2016 – via distributor IFC Films.
The film initially struggled to find a distributor, thanks in part to reshoots and a lengthy post-production phase that caused delays (despite principal photography happening in 2013, the film was only completed in 2015); also the sales company that was repping the film – Exclusive Media – imploded.
The finished product was shopped at Cannes in 2015, but there were no immediate takers according to reports. One can only wonder why, given that it’s a film about, arguably, the greatest footballer of all time – a man very well known internationally. Add to that, the fact that the film was backed by super producer Brian Grazer’s Imagine Entertainment.
I’d guess that the film may have lost some of its luster, since it was originally supposed to premiere prior to the 2014 World Cup, to take advantage of what could’ve been free advertising, as well as the overall spirit of that summer, which was exciting for sports fans worldwide. But that obviously didn’t happen.
Ultimately, the film’s release was met without much fanfare, and it was a domestic box office disaster, grossing under $50,000. Although it performed much better overseas, grossing $2.3 million worldwide; still quite weak for global numbers, especially given the subject matter and budget.
And now a second attempt at a Pelé project will aim to capture the eyeballs and dollars that the above film did not.
Announced today, Pelé and and his manager Paul Kemsley are teaming with Bunim/Murray Productions for a scripted limited series based on the Brazilian soccer icon’s life, which will focus mostly on his years playing for the New York Cosmos team in the mid-1970s – the legendary team most famous for bringing Pelé to America.
Five years ago, there was talk of a feature film based on the New York Cosmos story, with Caroline Rowland, director of the official London 2012 Olympics film “First,” in talks to direct at the time. But nothing seems to have come of that. So it could be that what was initially to be a feature film is now becoming a TV series.
The Cosmos have already been the subject of one successful documentary, “Once In A Lifetime” (2006), which looked at the team’s rise and fall in the 1970s and 1980s.
The NY Cosmos acquired superstar Pelé during the 1975 season, in a deal that was seen as a major coup for the ball club, signing a player whose worldwide popularity was compared to that of the Pope’s. And they paid well for him – a salary of $1.4 million per year, which was certainly a large amount for any athlete at the time (in today’s dollars, that would be about the equivalent of over $6 million a year).
His arrival turned the Cosmos from a motley crew of semi-professionals and students into a huge commercial enterprise. Pelé’s debut game with the Cosmos was reportedly broadcast in 22 countries and covered by more than 300 journalists from all over the world.
And his arrival, which was followed by other European and South American international players, raised attendance significantly, as the team’s competitive performance improved.
Pelé played his last professional match on October 1, 1977, in front of a capacity crowd at Giants Stadium. Of course the Cosmos won the game, a championship year for the team.
And after he retired, there was a noticeably decline of interest in the Cosmos, as well as the overall soccer league; and it was said that, much of the progress that American soccer had made during his stay was lost, especially with no star at the same level to replace him as the league’s headline act.
“Bunim/Murray has an amazing track record for creating revolutionary TV shows, and it was clear to me that we share a passion for Pelé and soccer,” Kemsley said. “I have no doubt they will capture the magic that was New York City in the late ’70s and also honor the legacy of one of the greatest athletes this planet has ever known.”
No network is attached at this time. No casting or ETA either.
