Penn State football coach Joe Paterno, who died in January, is about to be immortalized in a new movie starring Hollywood legend Al Pacino.

Al Pacino has agreed to take on the controversial role in a film based on the New York Times bestselling book Paterno.

The movie is still in the early stages of development, but respected Hollywood entertainment blog deadline.com is reporting that it will be shopped around Los Angeles early next week.

Joe Paterno was fired for his alleged role in covering up the child molestation scandal involving assistant coach Jerry Sandusky who was revealed to be a pedophile.

His death came just two months after he was let go by Penn State in November of 2011.

Penn State football coach Joe Paterno is about to be immortalized in a new movie starring Al Pacino

The new book, which was penned by former Sports Illustrated columnist Joe Posnanski, takes an in depth look at Joe Paterno’s relationship with Jerry Sandusky.

Jerry Sandusky was convicted and awaits sentencing on child sexual abuse.

As the scandal erupted, it was revealed that Joe Paterno had been told by graduate assistant Mike McQueary that jerry Sandusky had raped a boy in the Penn State locker room showers.

In addition, an independent report conducted by former FBI director Louis Freeh, concluded that Joe Paterno, as well as other Penn State bigwigs, “failed to protect against a child sexual predator harming children for over a decade”.

Joe Posnanski’s book, however disputes those claims, saying that Joe Paterno did not know Jerry Sandusky had sexually abused children, and when he read the list of charges against Sandusky, he asked his son Scott: “What is sodomy, anyway?”

Jerry Sandusky was convicted in June of sexually assaulting 10 boys over 15 years.