Tom Sizemore has been tapped to portray fallen baseball star Pete Rose in ESPN's original movie "Hustle." The project, to be helmed by Peter Bogdanovich, chronicles Rose's gambling-related downfall in the 1980s as documented in Major League Baseball's Dowd Report. "Tom Sizemore's ability to play gritty, conflicted characters is his hallmark," said Mark Shapiro, ESPN executive vp programming and production. "Only someone with his hefty credentials and proven talents can accurately portray someone as complex as Rose." Christian Darren penned the script for the movie, which Orly Adelson is executive producing. Filming is scheduled to begin May 14 in Toronto for a Sept. 25 premiere. Sizemore's feature credits include "Saving Private Ryan," "Pearl Harbor" and "Black Hawk Down." He next appears seen in "Paparazzi." Sizemore was sentenced in October 2003 to jail time and probation for battering ex-girlfriend Heidi Fleiss, but imposition of the sentence has been delayed by the court and is still pending. The actor recently wrapped a guest starring role in CBS' drama pilot "Dr. Vegas." Sizemore is repped by CAA, Untitled Entertainment and attorney Geoff Oblath.