The story of former New Orleans Saints safety Steve Gleason just got a significant boost in its ability to reach the masses.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, sports and media agency IMG is getting into the original content business, an effort led by former ESPN executive Mark Shapiro. Its first project will be a documentary about Gleason, who was diagnosed with ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) in 2011 and began recording video journals when his wife became pregnant, so his son could get to know him. The film will be comprised of those journals, culling footage from over 1,000 hours of video.

The documentary’s current working title is The Gleason Project, and has some impressive talent behind the camera. J. Clay Tweel (Print the Legend, Finders Keepers) is going to direct the film and Seth Gordon — who directed the 2007 documentary King of Kong and produced 2011’s Academy Award-winning Undefeated — will be its producer.

But the involvement of IMG is what could ultimately be the most powerful engine for this documentary. The agency will take advantage of its relationships with several brands and events to help market the film (along with the Team Gleason foundation) and create media partnerships. For example, Microsoft will be a technology partner on the project, furthering its work with researching and developing products aimed at helping improve the lives of people living with ALS.

That certainly falls in line with Gleason’s activist efforts to raise awareness for the disease and aid the development of treatments and a possible cure.

“I believe part of my purpose is to inspire others; to live life to its fullest, to overcome adversity, and to explore what is truly possible,” Gleason said in a statement. “I believe this film, and the story it tells, is a product of my purpose.”

Shapiro is a major part of IMG creating original content, of course. As ESPN’s executive vice president for programming and production, he was in charge of all content for the network. Pardon the Interruption and Around the Horn are among the shows he developed, in addition to documentary programming such as the SportsCentury series and even scripted content like Playmakers.

“Very few individuals are brave and tenacious enough to accomplish all that Steve has in their entire lifetime. The fact that he has become a one-man catalyst for a global movement in just four years is absolutely incredible, and we are extremely proud to help bring The Gleason Project to audiences around the world,” said Shapiro in a statement.

“Steve’s universal message of resilience and hope, told through the lens of a sports hero, is directly in line with our mission of supporting sports and entertainment content that has the ability to create meaningful change.”

The Gleason Project is scheduled for a 2016 release.

[The Hollywood Reporter]

About Ian Casselberry

Ian is a writer, editor, and podcaster. You can find his work at Awful Announcing and The Comeback. He's written for Sports Illustrated, Yahoo Sports, MLive, Bleacher Report, and SB Nation.