It's not a given that Hollywood's hottest actor who recently played gay would be cast in the lead of a biopic about a flamboyantly nonconformist-yet-still-hetero football star.

But it does make a kind of sense that Jake Gyllenhaal has been chosen to play 60s gridiron icon and sex symbol Joe Namath.

The legendary sports figure and 1969 Super Bowl hero was also a pop culture phenomenon known for his flash: wearing fur coats on the sidelines and accepting endorsement deals from pantyhose companies (check out that vintage Beautymist commercial on YouTube if you're too young to remember).

And thanks to Brokeback Mountain and subsequent drag appearances on Saturday Night Live, Gyllenhaal is known for being game to go where lots of young actors won't.

So when the writers' strike is over, the film's script and production schedule can get on track.

Last update: 12-19-2007 00:20