Rory Karpf was experiencing a filmmaker's nightmare right before his very eyes. Karpf had the plans set in stone -- he would be creating a special ESPN documentary on the NFL's famous Manning family -- but everything unraveled when the eldest Manning, Archie, backed out of his lead role.

Although it's usually Eli who comes through in the clutch, it was older brother Cooper -- who never played in the NFL -- stepping up to lead the way in the family documentary.

And so begins the story of one of the most successful football families in history, a story that has not even reached its conclusion with Peyton in the midst of a career year and Eli still at the helm of the New York Giants. The film debuted last night.

As Peyton and Eli have stayed busy with the NFL life, brother Cooper has dived into his role in the film in the absence of his dad.

"Dad initially did some stuff and then decided he just didn't want to do it and put it on hold," Manning told For The Win. "Rory (Karpf) almost had a heart attack when he found that out but then my mother was really the driver to get dad back and say 'let's pursue it.' I think she felt that their grandchildren needed to see a side of him and some of the details they wouldn't see otherwise. My mom is to blame for reigniting the whole project."

Although there have been several TV specials highlighting some very brief footage of the Manning brothers during childhood, this film is said to dig deeper into the family's roots with more footage, details, and more about how this family became one of the nation's most prominent sports families.

As described by Inquisitr, "The Book of Manning offers some rare footage of Peyton, Eli, and Cooper as youngsters. There's one scene where a young Peyton yells at Cooper for taking what he thought was a dirty hit, reminiscent of the hard-nosed quarterback he's become today."