Kevin Costner Is Having the Best Year Ever, Adds ‘Draft Day’ to Packed Schedule

By  · Published on October 11th, 2012

Whoever Kevin Costner’s agent is deserves the most ostentatious, wallet-busting, heart attack-inducing gift basket on the planet because they are working hard for the money. Let’s recap. Costner, who, as of a year or so ago, everyone had pretty much sort of forgotten about other than to mention in passing, “oh, yeah, Kevin Costner, I liked that guy” came smashing back into the collective Hollywood consciousnesses with last summer’s rumor that he would co-star in Django Unchained (though that proved fruitless), used that zing to get cast in Man of Steel, then grabbed an Emmy-winning role in Hatfields & McCoys, a major part in Jack Ryan, and a starring role in McG’s next thriller.

Is Costner done yet? Not by a mile. Vulture reports (via The Playlist) that Costner will now topline Ivan Reitman’s Draft Day, an NFL-centric film that follows the manager of the Buffalo Bills (Costner’s new role) on one heck of a day: the day he’s trying to land the number one draft pick in order to make all sorts of nutty trades, made all the more complicated by personal drama (you know, draft day). Sounds fun and all, but now it seems like Draft Day may have another feather in its cap, and not just of the Costner variety.

The outlet also reports that the NFL is not only considering giving the project the thumbs up, they might also kick in $20m to the Paramount production. It would be an unusual move by the league, who are known to deny requests to use even player or team likenesses (as they did with Any Given Sunday back in 1999). The obvious benefit to the league? A financial stake could mean a modicum of creative control, an important element for the NFL, who are notoriously very conscious of their brand and its perception.