Kevin James will portray New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton in a film for Netflix called “Home Team,” according to NBC Sports’ Peter King, who announced the news in his “Football Morning in America” column Monday.
“Home Team” follows Payton in 2012 when the coach was suspended by NFL commissioner Roger Goddell in the entire 2012 season related to the team’s role in the “Bountygate” scandal, in which the team was accused of paying out bounties or bonuses to players who successfully injured opposing team players.
The film shows how Payton began to reassess his life and took a job as the offensive coach for his son Connor’s sixth-grade football team in the Dallas area.
“Home Team” would be produced by Adam Sandler’s Happy Madison Productions as part of the company’s deal with Netflix. Filming is expected to begin this year, and Sean Payton himself has already provided some corrections to the script. No details on a screenwriter or director were available.
A representative for Netflix declined to comment. A representative for James did not respond to a request for comment.
The “Paul Blart: Mall Cop” and “The King of Queens” actor Kevin James most recently starred in the NASCAR comedy series “The Crew” for Netflix and also appeared in “Hubie Halloween,” which was a Netflix film and was produced by Sandler’s Happy Madison. He’s appeared in a number of films produced by Sandler’s company.