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Cody Keith, a former Mecklenburg high school football player whose parents moved so he could play quarterback, is the subject of an upcoming movie.
A California production company is making a film called “The Hopeful,” chronicling Keith's senior-year quest to prove he's deserving of a major-college football scholarship.
The Keiths moved to California early this year, putting Cody in his third school in as many years. Two school years ago, he played backup quarterback at Myers Park High. His parents have said they wanted him to get more playing time, so they transferred him last school year to South Mecklenburg, whose football team lacked an experienced signal-caller.
To do so without violating residency rules, they rented out their SouthPark area home worth more than $2.8 million and bought a $737,500 one in the attendance zone for South Meck.
Cody led the Sabres to the semifinals of the N.C. 4A playoffs, but since the team rarely threw the ball, he didn't get to showcase his arm. Now the family lives in the Pasadena, Calif., area, where he is quarterback for Maranatha, a private Christian school of about 695 students.
A synopsis on the Internet Movie Database says the film is about “Cody Keith, a senior high school quarterback (who) has flown under the radar, unnoticed by college recruiters for three years.”
But now, it says, “Keith will have one final season to prove to everyone (including himself) that he has the ability to play Division I college football. One season to make all his dreams come true.”
The SportsArc production company is making the movie, and its CEO, Brendan Kirsch, is listed as director. The firm's Web site says his credits include more than 120 episodes of television, including network shows such as “The Office” and “One Tree Hill.”
Kirsch said in an e-mail that “The Hopeful” has been in the works for almost two years, but Keith wasn't chosen as its subject until late this summer. It's unclear how Keith came to SportsArc's attention, but the director said his firm picked Keith over about five other students “because he proved to be the most interesting subject with the best storyline.”
Keith's parents couldn't be reached for comment. The movie is filming through February.
