You’ve probably seen the story before: a down-on-his-luck coach inherits a scrappy team of sports players who struggle to achieve victory. During their time together, the coach ends up being a father figure to his players, in addition to molding them into outright champions. It’s a tried-and-true formula that’s worked for everything from Emilio Estevez’s turn as Gordon Bombay in the Mighty Duckstrilogy to the late, great Gene Hackman in Hoosiers. But Ben Affleckand director Gavin O’Connor would bring a tragic edge to this formula with The Way Back.
