Think Erin Brockovich, only with more Chad Ochocinco. Actually, think Gnomeo and Juliet, because the writers of that movie have acquired the rights to a big screen treatment of the life of Cincinnati Bengals’ cheerleader Laura Vikmanis, who at 42 is the oldest cheerleader in NFL history.
New Line, with writers Emily Cook and Kathy Greenberg (Gnomeo & Juliet, Ratatouille) are making the film, with Richard and Lauren Shuler Donner producing. Vikmanis, mother of two (pictured), became a Bengals’ cheerleader because she was looking for something to do after her husband left her. It took more than a year to make the squad, as she competed the entire way against girls half her age. And if you don’t think those facts will draw in the female demographic, you’ve never stood in line against your will to see Sex and the City.
“In her real life, it was easy to find a way into the story,” Cook said. “She is a 42-year-old in a sea of 20-year-olds; she’s definitely a fish in out of water. It’s a great contrast. And she proved you can reinvent yourself at any age.”
“It’s really a feel good populist story in the vein of Blind Side. It’s got more comedy to be sure, but it’s an earnest story,” Greenberg said.
It occurs to me that a cameo role could just be the thing to draw Carson Palmer back into the fold.
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Tale of NFL’s Oldest Cheerleader to Get Film Treatment at New Line [Hollywood Reporter]
