42

Academy Award winner Brian Helgeland ("L.A. Confidential") wrote and directs "42," a drama that follows the powerful story of Jackie Robinson, the legendary baseball player who broke Major League Baseball's color line when he joined the roster of the Brooklyn Dodgers.

The film stars Chadwick Boseman ("The Express") as Robinson, who became the first African American to be signed to Major League Baseball, and Oscar nominee Harrison Ford ("Witness") as the Dodger's general manager Branch Rickey, the MLB executive who first signed Robinson to the minors and then helped to bring him up to the show.

The main cast also includes Nicole Beharie ("Shame") as Rachel Isum, who would become Robinson's wife; Christopher Meloni as Leo Durocher; Andre Holland as Wendell Smith; Lucas Black as Pee Wee Reese; Hamish Linklater as Ralph Branca; Ryan Merriman as Dixie Walker; and T.R. Knight as Harold Parrott.

"42" is produced by Thomas Tull, with Dick Cook, Jon Jashni, and Jason Clark executive producing, and Darryl Pryor and Jillian Zaks serving as co-producers. Helgeland's behind-the-scenes collaborators include Oscar-nominated director of photography Don Burgess ("Forrest Gump"), production designer Richard Hoover, costume designer Caroline Harris, and editors Kevin Stitt and Peter McNulty. The music is composed by Oscar nominee Mark Isham ("A River Runs Through It").

Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures present a Legendary Pictures Production, "42." Slated for release beginning April 12, 2013, the film will open in time to commemorate the 66th anniversary of Jackie Robinson Day - April 15, the date of his first game as a Brooklyn Dodger-and on the heels of the opening of the 2013 Major League Baseball season.