Glen Powell to star as Lou Gehrig in new film directed by Richard Linklater

43 1 minute read

Glen Powell attends the Los Angeles special screening of ‘How To Make a Killing’ at AMC The Grove 14 on Feb. 14, 2026, in LA. (Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images)

Glen Powell is taking on the role of Lou Gehrig.

The actor is set to star in a film about the baseball legend for Universal Pictures directed by Richard Linklater, ABC Audio has confirmed.

This currently untitled project will be produced by Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels alongside Erin David for Broadway Video’s first-look deal with Universal.

Powell will also produce the film, while Linklater is in talks to produce it. Saturday Night Live and Artificial writer Simon Rich is attached to write the movie’s screenplay.

Gehrig is considered to be one of the greatest baseball players of all time. He spent all of his 17-year career playing for the New York Yankees, where he won six World Series titles.

In 1939, the athlete was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS. He died at age 37 in 1941.

Powell and Linklater first collaborated on the 2016 film Everybody Wants Some!! Powell was directed by Linklater on the film, which follows Texan college baseball players in the year 1980.

The pair then produced and co-wrote the script of the 2024 romantic comedy Hit Man, which Linklater directed and Powell starred in.

Powell’s relationship with Universal Pictures started with the 2024 film Twisters. According to the studio, that film “overperformed against all industry expectations” and became the biggest opening for a natural disaster film ever at the domestic box office. It grossed $267.8 million overall in the domestic box office.