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News/Video: HBO Films’ <i>Paterno</i> Debuts This Spring

UPDATED: 2/23/18 – Full trailer added

UPDATED: 1/20/18 – New trailer added

In a press release:

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AL PACINO STARS IN HBO FILMS’ PATERNO,

DEBUTING THIS SPRING

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Directed by Barry Levinson;

Written By Debora Cahn And John C. Richards

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Riley Keough, Kathy Baker, Greg Grunberg,

Annie Parisse And Larry Mitchell Also Star

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A Levinson/Fontana Production Of A Barry Levinson Film;

Executive Produced By Barry Levinson, Jason Sosnoff, Tom Fontana,

Edward R. Pressman, Rick Nicita And Lindsay Sloane;

Produced By Amy Herman

In Association With Sony Pictures Television

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HBO Films’ PATERNO centers on Penn State’s Joe Paterno in
the aftermath of the Jerry Sandusky sexual abuse scandal. After becoming
the winningest coach in college football history, Paterno’s legacy is
challenged and he is forced to face questions of institutional failure
in regard to the victims.

Academy Award(R) and Emmy(R) Award winner Al Pacino (HBO’s
“You Don’t Know Jack”; “Scent of a Woman”) returns to HBO, starring in
the title role. Debuting this spring, PATERNO marks Pacino’s third HBO
collaboration with award-winning director Barry Levinson, having starred
in “You Don’t Know Jack,” which earned Pacino a Golden Globe for Best
Actor and an Emmy(R) for acting and Levinson an Emmy(R) for directing.
Pacino also starred in the title role in HBO’s “Phil Spector,” which
Levinson executive produced. Levinson directs PATERNO from a script by
Debora Cahn and John C. Richards.

“PATERNO is not a sprawling piece that spans years,”
observes director and executive producer Barry Levinson. “It unfolds
largely over a two-week period, when we watch the events play out. I’m
not following an agenda or trying to tell the audience to take a certain
side in regards to Coach Paterno. 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.

“Joe Paterno was known as an honorable man, an educator, a
humanitarian – so trying to make sense out of what happened is, for me,
the most fascinating aspect of the story,” he adds. “What did he
understand? What did he not understand?”

The film also stars Riley Keough (“The Girlfriend
Experience,” “Logan Lucky”) as Sara Ganim, the 23-year-old journalist
who first reported on the Sandusky case for _The Patriot-News_, a daily
newspaper serving the Harrisburg, Pa. metropolitan area; Kathy Baker
(“The Age of Adaline”) as Sue Paterno, Joe’s wife; Greg Grunberg (“Star
Wars: The Force Awakens”) and Larry Mitchell (“Brawl in Cell Block 99”)
as Joe’s sons, Scott and Jay Paterno; and Annie Parisse (“Friends from
College,” “Person of Interest”) as Mary Kay Paterno, Joe’s daughter.

Barry Levinson received a Best Director Oscar(R) for the
multiple Academy Award(R)-winning “Rain Man,” and earned two Oscar(R)
nominations as director and producer of “Bugsy,” as well as Best
Original Screenplay Oscar(R) nominations for “Diner,” “…and Justice for
All” and “Avalon.” He also executive produced and directed HBO Films’
“The Wizard of Lies” and “You Don’t Know Jack” and executive produced
HBO Films’ “Phil Spector,” all of which earned him Emmy(R) nominations.

HBO Films’ PATERNO, a Levinson/Fontana production of a Barry
Levinson Film, is executive produced by Barry Levinson, Jason Sosnoff,
Edward R. Pressman, Rick Nicita and Lindsay Sloane; Amy Herman produces.
PATERNO is produced in association with Sony Pictures Television.

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Source ©2018 Home Box Office (HBO) Media. All Rights Reserved.

Greg Staffa

I provide testosterone to the site. You won’t be reading about how nice a actress looks in a dress or how much of a hunk Matt Bomer is in my reviews. I describe colors using words like brown, not taupe. My twitter name is @staffaroadtrip because I love road trips and have done two different 48-state road trips since 2008. My favorite show is White Collar.

Greg Staffa

I provide testosterone to the site. You won’t be reading about how nice a actress looks in a dress or how much of a hunk Matt Bomer is in my reviews. I describe colors using words like brown, not taupe. My twitter name is @staffaroadtrip because I love road trips and have done two different 48-state road trips since 2008. My favorite show is White Collar.