Sam Rockwell In Talks To Play Country Music Legend Merle Haggard And Do His Own Singing

A new biopic about the late legendary country singer Merle Haggard is in the works at Amazon Studios, and Oscar-winner Sam Rockwell is reportedly in talks to play the lead role.

Deadline first reported the news, adding that Rockwell will do his own singing. The film is said to take place in the 1960s as Haggard rose to fame. Haggard died in 2016.

The film will be directed by Robin Bissell, who produced Seabiscuit and The Hunger Games. It's based on Haggard's memoir, Sing Me Back Home, and Haggard's wife Theresa will be a producer.

Haggard has a movie story-like life. After his father died and his mom abandoned him, Haggard hopped trains around America and stole cars. He escaped from juvenile detention centers on numerous occasions, and was eventually locked up for three years in the infamous San Quentin prison. It was there that he attended Johnny Cash's first prison performance. After getting out of prison he attempted to reform his life and moved on from the past, and this journey will likely be part of the story.

This is just the tip of the iceberg for the drama and controversy surrounding Haggard's life leading up to his music-making days that put him on the map and shaped the country music scene forever.

As for Rockwell, he won the Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role for Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.