A famous title with a built in film audience awareness.

The Front Runner has been called "one of the greatest sports stories of all time." In post-9/11 America, as sports struggle with scandal and commercialism, The Front Runner paints a compelling portrait of the drive, idealism and sacrifice that young athletes still bring to their sport. Likewise it details the prejudice heaped upon some athletes just because they are "different" in some way.

Beyond its power as a sports saga, The Front Runner is a moving love story -- of a tough conservative ex-Marine track coach who finds himself falling in love with his Olympics-bound distance runner.

Originally published in 1974, The Front Runner was a New York Times Bestseller, sold an estimated 10 million copies in 9 languages, and has captivated both gay and straight readers worldwide for over three decades. This international readership has continued to clamor for the film to be made.

The Front Runner's characters and story line grew out of tumultuous civil-rights changes of the 60's and 70's. Many of the issues -- especially growing violence and discrimination against same-gender lovers -- have not changed with time. The story has the same power to stun, surprise and heal today that it had over 30 years ago.

After numerous production attempts over the years, film development of this literary property has made a new start. The film rights, which had been sold in 1977, were recovered by author Patricia Nell Warren and her business partner, Tyler St. Mark.