James Leon’s film production company 8th Gear Entertainment will produce a biopic on Ecuadorian soccer superstar Enner Valencia. This comes after the production company acquired the rights to Valencia’s life story.
Titled Enner, the film will chronicle the soccer superstar’s inspiring rise from poverty to world cup fame and icon status. Valencia will executive produce his biopic alongside his manager Gonzalon Vargas, while Leon will produce alongside Radar Pictures’ Ted Field.
“We are very excited to bring Enner Valencia’s life story to the big screen – where underdog stories, particularly involving sports, have a history of leaving indelible marks on audiences. Enner’s life is a story of triumph over adversity and we are happy to work alongside him and Gonzalo to bring it to a worldwide audience through our movie.” James Leon said. “Enner is an amazing athlete, with an intense competitive spirit who has achieved some of the highest accomplishments in soccer as a dynamic scorer. His journey to becoming an elite athlete and one of the best soccer players at his position is incredibly motivating, and that’s what makes this story special to us. I like making movies that entertain and inspire – and Enner’s story encompasses those themes.”
As the current captain and forward for Ecuador’s national soccer team, Valencia is recognized as an all-time leading scorer with 37 international goals since joining in 2012.
“I feel proud and privileged to have my life’s story and journey shared in a movie and looking forward to working with James and the 8th Gear Entertainment team on it,” Valencia said. “More than anything though, I’m hopeful the film inspires youth around the world. My message is that to fulfill one’s dreams, you have to work for it. Nothing is easy in life but at the same time, nothing is impossible. Everything can be achieved with hard work, and I am very excited and be an inspiration for new generations through this movie.”
Valencia recently made headlines at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar for not only being Ecuador’s top scorer, but the first player to score six consecutive goals for any South American country.
“I’m so happy to make this movie. Few know the extent of the effort and the sacrifices that are behind each achievement obtained by Enner. As someone who fought for his dreams while raising his family, his story is one of overcoming many of life’s obstacles,” Vargas said in a statement. “Enner and I have traveled this path for more than 10 years and we have lived together through the good and bad moments of this career. So it fills me with tremendous pride as not just his manager, but above all as his friend, to see his story come to life on the big screen.”
Enner will be shot in Ecuador, Miami and Qatar in 2024.
