Pacino, De Palma teaming up for Paterno bio-picture

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LOS ANGELES, Jan. 17 (UPI) -- Actor Al Pacino is reuniting with his "Scarface" and "Carlito's Way" director Brian De Palma for a film about disgraced Penn State football coach Joe Paterno.

Producer Edward R. Pressman told The Hollywood Reporter Wednesday he has secured the film rights to "Paterno," the book by sports journalist Joe Posnanski.

"'Happy Valley' reunites the 'Scarface' and 'Carlito's Way' team of De Palma and Pacino for the third time, and I can't think of a better duo to tell this story of a complex, intensely righteous man who was brought down by his own tragic flaw," Pressman said.

Pacino is wrapping up his run in the Broadway revival of "Glengarry Glen Ross."

Paterno was 85 when he died in January 2012, months after he was fired as head football coach at Penn State where he spent 45 seasons building one of college football's premier football programs and establishing himself as one of the top coaches in the history of the game.

Paterno's career ended abruptly after assistant coach Jerry Sandusky was arrested for abusing a number of boys, often on Penn State grounds.

Paterno told a grand jury he passed reports of Sandusky's wrongdoing up the chain of command but he had come to believe he "should have done more."