Actor Aaron Eckhart is set to play University of Texas football coach Darrell Royal in a film about his bond with tragic player Freddie Steinmark.

The Dark Knight actor will star opposite Finn Wittrock in My All American.

Steinmark's career was cut short in 1969 after doctors discovered he had a cancerous tumor in his leg and it needed to be to be amputated.

The film will centre on Royal's 20-year tenure, in which he never lost a season.

Angelo Pizzo, the writer/producer of cult sports films Hoosiers and Rudy, will make his directorial debut on the movie, which is slated to begin production in Austin, Texas next month (Jun14).