Teton Ridge Entertainment has hired Reinaldo Marcus Green, director of the Oscar-winning King Richard, to write, direct and produce a feature film about Roberto Clemente, the celebrated Puerto Rican baseball star and humanitarian. The appointment matters because it attaches a proven, award-winning biopic filmmaker to a long-anticipated project honouring one of the sport's most revered figures, and it follows a recent court ruling that cleared Teton Ridge's control of Clemente's life rights.

Clemente spent 18 seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates, recorded 3,000 hits and died aged 38 in a 1972 plane crash while delivering earthquake aid to Nicaragua. Last month, the Los Angeles Superior Court granted Teton Ridge summary judgment, dismissing rival claims from Inside the Park, LLC, though Teton Ridge's cross-claims remain pending for trial. The company has also secured rights to David Maraniss's biography and partnered with Pittsburgh's Clemente Museum, while Clemente's family voiced support. Green's recent credits include the biopic Bob Marley: One Love and a forthcoming Tiger Woods film.