‘Chappaquiddick’s John Curran Attached To Direct Biopic Of Boston Bruins Hockey Star Derek Sanderson
EXCLUSIVE: Director John Curran is taking to the ice to direct Turk, a biopic based on the rise, fall and redemption story of 1970s Boston Bruins hockey star Derek Sanderson. The Chappaquiddick helmer is attached to direct a script written by Boston-based author Casey Sherman, who also wrote the book on which it was based. The film will be produced under Sherman’s Fort Point Media banner with Black Mass producer Michael Bassick and Sherman’s partner Dave Wedge.
Deadline exclusively reported the news about Turk last month. The titular “Turk” Sanderson was a key cog of the Bruins’ 1970 and 1972 Stanley Cup victories — he assisted on Bobby Orr’s iconic Cup-winning OT goal in ’70, when he was named the NHL rookie of the year and became a pop culture star with his bachelor good looks. In 1972, he bolted the NHL to sign the highest-paying contract in pro sports history with the upstart World Hockey Association’s Philadelphia Blaze.
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His highflying life came with a price: injuries sidelined his brief WHA run, and he became a drug addict and alcoholic which cost him his career after he bounced around several teams in his return to the NHL. He ended up homeless until those he loved helped pull him from the abyss and set him on the road to redemption; he now runs a financial advisory firm for athletes.
“We are proud to be working with a director of John’s talent,” said Sherman and Wedge. “He masterfully told the story of flawed hero Ted Kennedy and we know he’ll bring the same insightful approach to Derek Sanderson’s story.
Curran is repped by CAA. Sherman and Wedge are repped by Gotham Group.
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