Former NFL QB Jake Plummer to star in planned Canadian football movie ‘Kick’

Photo courtesy: Denver Broncos

Canadian football movie Kick has secured the first star member of its cast.

Former NFL quarterback Jake Plummer has agreed play the veteran pivot of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, described by Toronto-born writer/producer Chris Bickford as “old and grizzled.”

“It’s a cool script,” said Plummer in an exclusive interview with 3DownNation. “It’s really neat to be showcasing a league that doesn’t get a lot of respect for the amount of football that’s gone into it and the history behind the CFL, which is a really rich history up there in Canada.”

Plummer was a college teammate of Isaiah Mustafa and the two remain close friends. Mustafa pursued acting following a four-year stint in professional football and drew international recognition in 2010 as “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” in a popular Old Spice advertising campaign.

Mustafa’s acting career has continued to flourish ever since with roles in Horrible BossesCrush, Shadowhunters, and It Chapter Two. Plummer recently served as an extra on one of Mustafa’s upcoming films, which was his first opportunity to act professionally.

“He’s been trying to pull me into a few things for a while now and I finally opened up to it,” said Plummer. “I went through that one door and look what happened — the opportunity to do something that could be a lot of fun that I can add my energy and passion to.”

Plummer’s extensive playing experience has helped prepare him for his role in Kick. He was a strong motivator and leader throughout his ten-year NFL career, earning a trip to the Pro Bowl in 2005.

“It won’t be too hard to put on shoulder pads and get made up to look like that old, torn-up vet and go in there and spit some knowledge on the team,” said Plummer. “I don’t think it’s going to be a far stretch for me to act it out and get it done.”

He’s not sure of the extent to which acting will factor into his future, but Plummer sees Kick as an exciting chance to try something new.

“I don’t know what it’s going to be like, but it’s an opportunity to go out and do something fun, make a memory, and have something cool to talk about.”

Kick will centre around a group of preteen boys who adore the Ticats, a downtrodden team that opens the season 0-7 before mounting an improbable comeback in the standings. Plummer will play the quarterback of the team in a supporting role.

Bickford is partnering with Russ De Jong of North Films Co. for the production of Kick. De Jong recently worked on the popular Netflix series The Umbrella Academy and has previously worked with celebrities such as Megan Fox, Heather Graham, Tommy Lee Jones, and Shawn Mendes.

“The CFL would be showcased repeatedly to a sought-after demographic year after year and generation after generation,” Bickford told 3DownNation in April. “I think it could really become a classic in Canadian households.”

Kick has secured most of its budget and is planning a four-week shoot in Toronto and Hamilton. Bickford calls the movie a “coming-of-age story” that will be a cross between Rocky and Stand By Me. The project is currently targeting Canadian actors such as Jay Baruchel, Anna Paquin, Hayden Christiansen, Molly Parker, and Jason Priestley for roles in the film.

Plummer threw for 8,626 yards, 64 touchdowns, and 34 interceptions over a four-year stint at Arizona State. He helped lead the Sun Devils to a Pac-10 championship as a senior with an 11-1 record, though the team narrowly lost the Rose Bowl to Ohio State by a score of 20-17.

The native of Boise, Idaho finished No. 3 in voting for the Heisman Trophy behind Danny Wuerffel and longtime CFL running back Troy Davis in 1996. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2019 and remains at or near the top of virtually every passing statistical category in Arizona State history.

Plummer was a second-round pick of the Arizona Cardinals in 1997 and saw the field quickly, starting nine games as a rookie. He served as the team’s starting quarterback for six seasons, passing for 17,622 yards, 90 touchdowns, and 114 interceptions. The team made one playoff appearance under Plummer, winning a Wild Card game over the Dallas Cowboys in 1998.

The six-foot-two, 215-pound quarterback signed with the Denver Broncos as a free agent in 2003 and spent four years with the club, throwing for 11,631 yards, 71 touchdowns, and 47 interceptions. Denver made three consecutive playoff appearances under Plummer, including a berth in the AFC Championship Game in 2005.

Plummer was traded to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in March 2007 but he elected to retire instead of reporting to the team. He currently resides in Boulder, Colo. with his wife and three children.

John Hodge
John Hodge is a Canadian football reporter based in Winnipeg.