Writer: William Blinn (1971; and story credit for 2001) teleplay by John Gray & Allen Clare (2001)
Starring: James Caan (Brian Piccolo 1971) Billy Dee Williams (Gayle Sayers 1971) Mekhi Phifer (Gale Sayers 2001) Sean Maher (Brian Piccolo 2001)
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Released: 1971 & 2001
Runtime: 73 (1971), 88 (2001)
Language: English
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Brian's Song is a 1971 made-for-TV movie, recalling the details of the life of Brian Piccolo (played by James Caan), a football player stricken with terminal cancer, and his friendship with Chicago Bears running back teammate and Pro Football Hall of Famer Gale Sayers (Billy Dee Williams), who helps him through the difficult struggle. The true story was such a success on television that it was later shown in theaters. A remake was filmed in 2001 for ABC's The Wonderful World of Disney starring Mekhi Phifer and Sean Maher. The movie is based on Sayers' account of his friendship with Piccolo and Piccolo's illness in his autobiography, I Am Third. The film was written by veteran screenwriter William Blinn, but there is also a book version.
