David Corenswet Is Unrecognisable As John Tuggle In New Trailer For ‘Mr. Irrelevant’
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Readtime: 4 min
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John Tuggle might not be a household name to all audiences around the world yet, but after the release of Mr. Irrelevant, the new biopic based on the late footballer’s life, he still might just become one.
We’ve got our first proper look at Mr. Irrelevant in way of an almost three-minute trailer, showing literal Superman David Corenswet don his best blonde wig and moustache and transform into the NFL star. Upon first look, the trailer reads similar to any other sporting biopic – hopeful music, star overcoming some level of strife, overbearing authority figures etc. But, once you dive deeper into Tuggle’s story, it’s genuinely impressive the impact he made in such a short space of time.
Who Is John Tuggle aka ‘Mr. Irrelevant’?
The TL;DR of John Tuggle’s life story is that he rose to fame (or infamy, perhaps) after being the final selection in the 1983 NFL draft pick by the New York Giants. In case you didn’t know, the final draft pick of any given year in the NFL is given the moniker of ‘Mr. Irrelevant’.
But, at least from what we see in the trailer, Tuggle was not a man who would let his draft number define his career. In what we’ve seen so far of Mr. Irrelevant, he’s determined, optimistic and not really one to let things get him down. He’s akin to Ted Lasso, if you will.
His attitude got him far. Despite being literally the last pick, Tuggle was able to secure himself a spot on special teams (the players that are on the field for kickoff plays) and, by the end of the year, was voted special teams Player of the Year by his teammates. Not bad for a so-called ‘Mr. Irrelevant’, eh?
However, John Tuggle’s story is one that ends in tragedy. Following a minor car accident, he had severe shoulder pain that felt far too significant to be a result of the crash. He was then diagnosed with cancer. But, always the fighter, he tried hard not to let his illness impact his performance on the field.
“You could tell what a terrible thing his chemotherapy was, but John actually got stronger, and although it broke your heart to do it, he wanted to be pushed, he didn’t want sympathy,” said Giants conditioning coach Johnny Parker at the time.
“In the weight room, John Tuggle was not sick, John Tuggle was a standard.”
John Tuggle died August 30, 1986. He was 25 years old. In honour of Tuggle, the New York Giants wore a ’38’ sticker on their uniforms during the 1986-87 NFL season. That season was historic for the team, as they’d go on to win the Super Bowl for the very first time.
‘Mr. Irrelevant’ Cast
David Corenswet is ditching the red and blue suit he’s been wearing for the past few Superman films for Tuggle’s very 1980s comb-over and moustache combo. This marks his first non-Superman role since 2024, and he’ll go right back into playing the Man of Steel in 2027’s Man of Tomorrow.
The other actor and character of note in Mr. Irrelevant is Michael Shannon, who’ll be taking on the role of Bill Parcells. Parcells served as the Head Coach for the New York Giants for seven years, and is portrayed in the trailer as being tough on Tuggle given his titular irrelevance. However, it does look like he comes around to him given Tuggle’s infallible determination. Parcells also, of course, coaches the Giants to their first Super Bowl win.
Isabel May plays Tuggle’s love interest Katie, but interestingly, Katie is a fictional character. In fact, she’s not even based on Tuggle’s actual ex-wife partner Stephanie.
You can also expect to see the likes of David Krumholtz, Tuwaine Barrett, Thaddeus LaGrone, Alexander England, Spencer House and Tandi Wright in the movie.
‘Mr. Irrelevant’ Release Date
An inspiring and heartfelt biopic like this one makes for a perfect summer watch, and it’ll hit Australian cinemas on February 11, 2027, via Paramount Pictures.
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