WASHINGTON, September 26 (RIA Novosti) – A movie dramatizing the iconic 1972 showdown between US chess prodigy Bobby Fischer and Soviet grandmaster Boris Spassky will start filming next month, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
“Spider-Man” actor Tobey Maguire, who will star as Fischer, has been developing the film for years, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The movie, to be called “Pawn Sacrifice,” will be directed by Ed Zwick, whose previous screen credits include the 2003 Tom Cruise epic “The Last Samurai,” according to IMDB.
American actor Liev Schreiber is in negotiations to star as Spassky, while Peter Sarsgaard is in talks to play Fischer’s priest confidant. The movie will start shooting in Montreal in October, The Hollywood Reporter reported Tuesday.
Bobby Fischer became the youngest chess grandmaster in history at age 15 in 1958. The highly publicized face-off between Fischer and Spassky in Reykjavík, Iceland in 1972 resulted in Fischer becoming the first American world chess champion, according to Biography.com.
In 1975 Fischer refused to defend his title against Soviet challenger Anatoly Karpov, and Karpov became champion by default. Fischer became a recluse, finally reemerging to beat Spassky in a privately organized rematch in 1992, according to Biography.com.
