- Share this article on Facebook
- Share this article on Twitter
- Share this article on Flipboard
- Share this article on Email
- Show additional share options
- Share this article on Linkedin
- Share this article on Pinit
- Share this article on Reddit
- Share this article on Tumblr
- Share this article on Whatsapp
- Share this article on Print
- Share this article on Comment
Peter Berg is sharing more about his affection for ESPN‘s Monday Night Football in a video interview with the sports network.
The Hollywood Reporter broke the news on Wednesday that Berg, the filmmaker behind Friday Night Lights, had been recruited to make the new MNF opening segment. The 90-second spot will feature 44 years of culture and football history in a montage including Darth Vader, Ronald Reagan and references to Pac-Man, Madonna and Titanic.
PHOTOS: ESPN’s New ‘Monday Night Football’ Opening to Feature Darth Vader, Ronald Reagan
In an interview with ESPN, Berg, a lifelong football fan, talks about having developed “huge man crushes” on NFL legends Lawrence Taylor and John Riggins as a youngster watching MNF with his father.
“There really is cultural significance. If you look at the history of the show from the early ’70s to now, all of the different things that have happened have been explored in Monday Night Football, whether it’s John Lennon coming into the booth … whether it’s 9/11 and how that was paid respect to,” Berg says in the ESPN video.
EXCLUSIVE: Peter Berg Unveils ESPN’s New ‘Monday Night Football’ Intro
He adds that his dream for the opening would be for a father and son watch the intro and have it spark a conversation about some of the cultural icons featured.
Berg was recruited to design a new MNF intro after ESPN decided to drop Hank Williams Jr.‘s “Are You Ready for Some Football” opening after the singer compared President Barack Obama to Adolf Hitler in 2011.
Watch the video below.
Related Stories
Related Stories
Related Stories
THR Newsletters
Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day