Disney’s ‘Game Plan’ won’t include Patriot nation By Gayle Fee and Laura Raposa Thursday, June 1, 2006 - Updated: 03:18 AM EST
Dwyane “The Rock” Johnson will play the beloved quarterback of New England’s football team in the made-in-Mass. Disney flick “Game Plan” - but he won’t be calling plays as a New England Patriot.
That’s because the NFL and Mickey’s suits failed to come to terms on the rights to use the Pats’ uniforms and logos in the flick. Ergo, The Rock will be wearing some fictitious team’s duds when the cameras start to roll at Gillette Stadium later this month.
“We did not come to agreement with Disney due to timing and production schedule issues,” said NFL spokesguy Brian McCarthy. “The producers may not use any NFL team names, logos, or uniforms.”
Our spies say the NFL is “notoriously sensitive” about lending its imprimatur to fictitious flicks. The NFL types recently OK’d the use of the Philadelphia Eagles brand for the Mark Wahlberg movie “Invincible,” but it is based on a true story.
Still, one would think that Disney and the NFL would be on good terms since the Mouse House owns ABC and ESPN, which have the football broadcast rights . . . .
The film, which was previously known as “Daddy’s Girl,” is the story of a football hero who is on top of the world until he discovers he has an 8-year-old daughter from a previous relationship - and he’s got to raise her.
Filming is set to begin in Foxboro June 19 and Pats’ spokesguy Stacey James said as far as the team knows it is still OK for the Hollywood crew to use their football facilities for the flick.
But it must be disappointing for the Flying Elvii to miss out on a shot at the celluloid Super Bowl. After all, the Red Sox had “Fever Pitch,” shouldn’t Tom Brady & Co. get a little Tinseltown love? (Oh, forgot, he already does. But we digress . . . .)
“It sounded like it would be something that would be fun to be a part of,” said James. “It sounded like a decent story and it is Disney. It would have been nice national branding, and that can’t hurt. But we trust that the League is making the right decision.”
