US actor Robert De Niro poses during a photocall in Nice, on French riviera. De Niro, a legendary actor who won an Oscar for his 1980 portrayal of famed boxer Jake LaMotta in "Raging Bull", will play ex-American football coach Vince Lombardi in a new movie by ESPN Films. COURTESY OF AFP

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NEW YORK (AFP) – Robert De Niro , a legendary actor who won an Oscar for his 1980 portrayal of famed boxer Jake LaMotta in " Raging Bull ", will play ex-American football coach Vince Lombardi in a new movie by ESPN Films.

ESPN announced Tuesday that De Niro would portray the legend in "Lombardi", a movie looking at his transformation of the Green Bay Packers from the National Football League 's worst team to five-time NFL champions in the 1960s.

"We're thrilled to have Robert De Niro on our team," said Charles Coplin, NFL vice president of programming. "There are few actors who could accurately portray the fire, passion and grit of Lombardi."

The legendary coach died in 1970 at age 57. The film about Lombardi is expected to be released just before the 2012 Super Bowl .

De Niro, 66, joins a project written by Oscar-winning screenwriter Eric Roth.

"Having an icon portray an icon on film is amazing and with a writer as talented as Eric working on the script, the results could be magical for NFL fans," ESPN Films senior vice president Ron Semiao said.

Copyright © 2010 Agence France Presse. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AFP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of Agence France Presse.

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