ESPN Planning Nine-Part Tom Brady Documentary Series, 'Man In The Arena'
BOSTON (CBS) -- "The Last Dance," a 10-part documentary focusing on Michael Jordan and the 1990s Chicago Bulls, was a rousing success for ESPN. Now, the network is hoping to capitalize on that by turning its attention to another GOAT.
According to Deadline, ESPN is working with Tom Brady to produce a nine-part documentary series called "Man In The Arena."
"The series will be Brady's first-hand account of the most iconic moments of his NFL career, including each of his nine Super Bowl appearances as quarterback of the New England Patriots," Deadline's Mike Fleming Jr. reported. "Also in there will be smaller, seemingly insignificant instances that became pivotal events and paved the path of the future Hall of Famer's journey, which takes a new chapter after his move to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers."
Deadline shared a trailer for the series, which showed clips of Brady throughout his life and playing career.
"Things that I've dreamed about have actually come true," Brady says in the trailer. "Things have happened in my life as I've kind of hoped they would happen. It's been -- I mean -- just a complete evolution, you know, how I just kind of kept fighting and clawing to power forward. You just keep putting one foot in front of the other, and you keep trying to make progress, so when I look at over 20 years, I look at how far I've come. But there's not one step that I took where I've realized, 'Look how far I've come.' But those series of steps that I've put together, I got, 'Wow, that's ... that's quite a journey.'"
The title of the series comes from a speech delivered by Theodore Roosevelt in 1910, a year after leaving the office of the U.S. presidency.
"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better," Roosevelt said. "The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."
Deadline reported that the series is being co-produced by ESPN, 199 Productions (Brady's new company), as well as and Gotham Chopra, who produced Brady's "Tom Vs. Time" docuseries on Facebook in 2017/18.
"I'm excited to have my company 199 Productions be in business with ESPN and Disney along with our Religion of Sports partners to launch this new series that gives an inside look into the championship moments I've been blessed to experience," Brady said to Deadline in a statement. "Through the series, we're defining the key moments and challenges that were seemingly insurmountable, but through hard work and perseverance, became career-defining triumphs, in both victory and defeat. ... This compelling and powerful show will entertain, inspire and have you on the edge of your seat. We can't wait to share it with the world."