Call it Deceasedbiscuit: sports pic expert Peter Berg has snapped up the rights to a Vanity Fair article that will trace the life and final, fateful days of Barbaro, a beloved American racehorse who stormed to victory in the 2006 Kentucky Derby, only to be tragically injured in his next race.
Universal has splashed to cash to help Berg secure the article, which tells the story of how the horse’s trainer and vet tried desperately to come up with a way to help the shattered leg Barbaro sustained and try not to put him down. Sadly, they were unsuccessful, resulting in a national outpouring of grief. Think Desert Orchid, but even more emotional.
Berg had a natural advantage in getting the rights – the article was penned by Buzz Bissinger – from whose work Berg produced the Friday Night Lights movie and TV series. Oh, and Bissinger’s his cousin. So no favouritism there, at all…
