(10-04-07)
LOS ANGELES -- Former University of New Haven linebacker Idris Price appears in the current No. 1 movie at the box office, Disney's "The Game Plan," starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.
Price, who in real life plays for the Arena Football League's Philadelphia Soul, portrays one of the fictional New York Dukes in the movie, which opened Sept. 28. The movie led the U.S. box office with $23 million last week and was made by noted sports film makers Mark Ciardi and Gordon Gray, who were previously responsible for sports films including "Invincible," "The Rookie" and "Miracle."
Price starred for the UNH Chargers on the gridiron for two seasons (2000 and 2001) before going on to his career as a professional football player. Idris was originally signed by the New York Jets as a free agent, and spent time with the Jets, New England Patriots, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers before a stint in NFL Europe. He played three seasons for the AFL's Orlando Predators prior to joining the Soul, a team owned by legendary rocker Jon Bon Jovi.
Last season, Price was named to the AFL's All-Ironman team, while helping lead the Soul with 27 rushing attempts for 57 yards, and eight touchdowns on offense, and 39.5 tackles, and two sacks on defense.
A large portion of "The Game Plan" was filmed in and around Gillette Stadium and the New England Patriots' practice facility. For the film, all of the players in the movie attended a three-week pre-filming training camp. Similar to a real professional training camp, the players practiced offense, defense and special teams in preparation for filming.
Said Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson: “One of the benefits of being in 'The Game Plan' was getting to work with the Arena Football League players. They brought a special dedication and energy to the film, but more importantly, they brought a great reality to our movie. All of the AFL guys in the movie are great players in their league and they’re the top guys at what they do. I really had a great time working with them. They were all very patient with me, and I want to thank them for that. When we filmed, it was just two months after I had ruptured my Achilles, and I will be forever grateful to the AFL guys who were so patient in dealing with the football limitations that my injury caused. All of the AFL players really worked their butts off every single day, and Mark Ellis and Pat O’Hara were fantastic in coordinating the football scenes and working with our Arena League players. I have nothing but glowing things to say about my experience in working with these guys."
"The Game Plan" stars Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Kyra Sedgwick. According to a Disney press release, Johnson plays arrogant superstar pro quarterback Joe Kingman. At the height of Kingman's attempt to lead his team to the playoffs and a possible league championship, he finds out that he has a seven-year-old daughter that he never knew he had---the product of a last fling with his then-wife just prior to their divorce. Kingman must then deal with this situation during the most important time of his professional football career. Sedgwick portrays Kingman's tough agent.
