Al Pacino is set to reunite with Brian De Palma on 'Happy Valley'.

The veteran actor will once again team with his 'Scarface' director for the true story picture about Penn State football coach, Joe Paterno, who was the most successful coach in the college sport until a child sex abuse scandal surrounding his former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky ended his career.

'Wall Street' producer Edward R. Press is behind the project after optioning the rights to 'Paterno', a biography on the controversial coach by Joe Posnanski, while 'American History X' scribe Dave McKenna is in talks to write the script.

Edward told Deadline.com: '''Happy Valley' reunites the 'Scarface' and 'Carlito's Way' team of De Palma & Pacino for the third time and I can't think of a better duo to tell this story of a complex, intensely righteous man who was brought down by his own tragic flaw.''

Joe Paterno's career as a beloved, well respected coach with the most wins in American college football history ended in disgrace when his former assistant was found guilty of 45 counts of sexual abuse against young boys. It was alleged that he knew about the illicit behaviour, but didn't do anything about it for fear of bad publicity ruining the football team's reputation.

The disgraced coach was fired by Penn State in 2011, while a statue built in his honour was torn down, and all of his team's wins dating back to the start of the abuse were stripped away. Joe later died from cancer in January 2012.

Al previously played troubled football coach Tony D'Amato in 1999's 'Any Given Sunday'.