Legendary Pictures is to make a film about Jackie Robinson, the forties American baseball player who broke the sport’s colour barrier.

Brian Helgeland, the Oscar-winning co-writer of LA Confidential, will write and direct, with Legendary chairman and CEO Thomas Tull producing and Legendary chief creative officer Jon Jashni executive producing with former Walt Disney Studios chairman Dick Cook.

The project will fall under Legendary’s overall agreement with Warner Bros.

In a statement, Legendary said it will collaborate with Robinson’s widow, Rachel Robinson, “to ensure the authenticity of the famed player’s story.” Robinson became the first African American player in Major League Baseball when he made his 1947 debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers.