The inspiring football biopic, in theaters Dec. 25, stars David Corenswet alongside Isabel May and Michael Shannon

NEED TO KNOW

• A trailer for Mr. Irrelevant, in theaters Dec. 25, has been released
• The biopic stars David Corenswet as the late New York Giants running back John Tuggle
• The title refers to the last player selected in an NFL season draft

David Corenswet is anything but irrelevant. But in his new movie, he plays a real-life hero who was once overlooked. 

Mr. Irrelevant (in theaters Dec. 25) features the Superman star as the late John Tuggle, a New York Giants running back whose story inspired many. A new trailer for the biopic shows Corenswet, 33, as Tuggle, who was picked last in the NFL Draft in 1983 and played one impactful season before tragically dying of cancer at 25 in 1986. “Mr. Irrelevant” is the nickname given to the final player selected in each year’s draft. 

The movie depicts “the inspiring true story of John Tuggle, the last player selected in the last round of the 1983 NFL draft by the New York Giants,” according to an official synopsis. “A true underdog, Tuggle defied expectations on the field and off for his then first-year head coach, Bill Parcells, his newfound love and his team, proving that remarkable hope and perseverance can transcend even the greatest challenges.”

The movie, directed by Jonathan Levine and written by Nick Santora, costars Isabel May as Tuggle’s love interest Katie, Michael Shannon as New York Giants coach Bill Parcells and David Krumholtz as Julius “Whitey” Horai.

“What happens when a person who has defined himself by optimism and resilience is faced with a losing struggle?” Corenswet told PEOPLE when he shared a first look at Mr. Irrelevant in April. “Can grace and dignity and humor and love transform failure into its own kind of success? These are the questions I thought were asked by John’s story and I think are asked of each of us at various points in life.”

Director Levine said in April that Tuggle’s story “was filled with triumph and laughter, romance and heartache.” Tuggle only played 16 games in the NFL during that 1983 season and scored one touchdown. He was diagnosed with cancer in 1984 and died at 25 years old in 1986, per The New York Times. As Levine told PEOPLE, depicting Tuggle onscreen “necessitated an actor who could deliver on all of those things: someone who radiated John’s charm, charisma and infectious good nature, but also had the dramatic chops to navigate his journey with truth and depth,” and Corenswet “is truly the only person I can imagine playing John.”

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Paramount Pictures will release Mr. Irrelevant in theaters Dec. 25.

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