Paramount released the first trailer for “Mr. Irrelevant” Sunday, timed to the opening weekend of the NFL season, introducing David Corenswet’s turn as John Tuggle, the New York Giants running back who became the final pick of the 1983 NFL Draft. The film opens exclusively in theaters on Christmas Day.
Tuggle earned the nickname “Mr. Irrelevant,” a tongue-in-cheek label traditionally given to the draft’s last overall selection. Rather than fade into obscurity, he fought his way onto the Giants’ 53-man roster through preseason and training camp, eventually earning a promotion to starting fullback in week 12 of his rookie season after an injury to Rob Carpenter.
His teammates later voted him special teams player of the year. In 1984 he was diagnosed with cancer, and though he never returned to the field, the Giants kept him on the roster so he could continue collecting a salary and covering his medical bills. He died in August 1986 at age 25, weeks before the Giants opened a season that ended in a Super Bowl XXI title. The team wore his No. 38 as a helmet sticker throughout that championship run.
Director Jonathan Levine, known for “50/50” and “Warm Bodies,” built the film from a screenplay by Nick Santora. Michael Shannon plays Bill Parcells, then in his first year as Giants head coach and still years from the Super Bowl titles and Hall of Fame induction that would define his career. Isabel May plays Katie, a love interest Tuggle meets during his rookie season, while David Krumholtz, Tuwaine Barrett, Thaddeus LaGrone, Alexander England, Spencer House and Tandi Wright round out the supporting cast.
Corenswet’s casting places two very different underdog stories side by side: an unproven late-round pick fighting to prove he belongs in the league, and a first-time head coach trying to establish his own credibility before becoming one of the sport’s most decorated figures.
Speaking to People earlier this year, Corenswet said Tuggle’s story drew him in because it examines what happens when relentless optimism collides with a battle that cannot simply be willed away. The role marks a sharp turn from his most recent project, James Gunn’s “Superman,” in which Corenswet played the Man of Steel. Levine, meanwhile, is reportedly in talks to direct a sequel to “Days of Thunder” next.
