Sports fans are getting a first look at actor Kevin James in his role as New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton for an upcoming film based on the Saints' infamous "Bountygate" scandal.
A series of photos published by TMZ on Tuesday showed a chrome-domed James on-set, reportedly in Louisiana, and wearing a Saints long-sleeve T-shirt and a windbreaker-style navy vest. Payton, who has a cameo in the film, is also seen wearing some kind of workers' costume, with a goofy black wig.
While James could certainly pass as a football coach in this get-up, he doesn't strike much resemblance to Payton, a former college quarterback. Let's just say James has the build of an offensive lineman. And, perhaps more obviously, Payton looks to still have most of has hair, whereas James seems to have gone clean shaven up top for the role.
As some pointed out on social media, James arguably looked more like former Jets and Bills coach Rex Ryan than Payton. Which would be fitting, since James' character in his long-running sitcom "King of Queens" was a New York Jets fan.
In any event, the Adam Sandler-produced movie will apparently have a lighter approach to the scandal, which was found to entail a bonus program for Saints players who injured opposing players, and ultimately led to Payton's suspension from the league for a year. The film, titled "Home Team," is set to be released on Netflix.
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