With a filmmaking career that has spanned three decades and a filmography that has covered so many different genres, it’s a bit surprising that Ridley Scott has never directed a modern sports movie up until now. It’s especially surprisingly because he is apparently a big sports fan. However, this week he is finally taking steps to fill that hole in his repertoire with an issue-based film focusing on pro football (ie. the NFL). Scott is looking to put together a drama that explores the topic of concussions in sports and the terrible toll this is taking on many star athletes. It’s certainly a subject that has been debated at length over the past few years, but will it make for a compelling feature film?

According to Deadline, Ridley Scott and producing partner Giannina Facio have been meeting with A-list screenwriters to pen “a drama focusing on the debilitating effects that concussions are having on our sports heroes, and the role that league owners play in allowing it to happen.” It does not seem like it would be based on any specific true story, but the tone is being compared to Michael Mann’s The Insider. Although Scott always has a lot of projects on the go, this could potentially be his follow-up to the Biblical epic Exodus, which is currently in production now.

Steve James covered this very subject last year with his sobering documentary Head Games. In my opinion there is a lot of meat to dig into here, but I suspect that many football fans would be less than excited about watching a movie like this. Quite frankly, it’s a depressing topic and one that could eventually cause major problems for professional sports. Are you interested in a Ridley Scott-directed morality tale about modern day gladiators?