The story of former New Orleans Saints punt returner Michael Lewis may be getting the Hollywood treatment. Mike Scott of the Times-Picayune reported that Lewis recently approved a film treatment of his path to the NFL, which would be written and directed by David DuBos, a New Orleans local. They already have some material to work with; in 2014, Lewis published an autobiography titled “Dreams: The Michael Lewis Story.”

Scott spoke with Lewis’ agent, Karl Bernard, who sees great potential in the Saints legend’s story.

“I think anybody who has any dream larger than themselves will be inspired by the Michael Lewis story,” Bernard said. “He’s an incredible individual, an incredible athlete, an American story come to life right before our eyes in the city of New Orleans.”

The need to provide for his family drew Lewis away from college recruiters and into the search for a job, and he famously drove a Budweiser delivery truck (hence his nickname, the “Beer Man”) around New Orleans. But his football talents led to small success in semipro leagues, a successful tryout with the Philadelphia Eagles and eventual success with the Saints.

All of the in-between stories are important, Bernard acknowledged, but the real draw is Lewis’ actual success in the NFL. He points to “Rudy,” a timeless sports movie about someone who ultimately was on the field for just three plays in a college game. And the 2006 Mark Wahlberg vehicle “Invincible” is about a player, Vince Papale, who was in the NFL for just three seasons.

Compare that to Lewis, who still owns Saints records in punt returns (142), punt return yards (1,482), kickoff returns (243), and kickoff return yards (5,903). He remains locked in a tie with Tyrone Hughes for the most kickoff return touchdowns (three) in Saints team history. His single-season record for combined return yards (2,432) is a bar no one in the NFL has met since 2002.

Lewis and DuBos hope to see filming begin this winter, but Bernard admitted that may be an ambitious goal given how early they are in the process. Still, there’s certainly enough interest in a hometown hero for Saints fans to support this endeavor once it gets off the ground.

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