Over the years Hollywood has embraced basketball for documentaries of films that have been quite successful. In 1994 the documentary ‘Hoop Dreams’ followed a few rising stars through their high school years, generating praise for it’s gritty behind the scenes action. ‘The Fab 5’ followed the University of Michigan’s five freshmen, while ‘Hoosiers’ set the gold standard for sports films forever. Who could forget the popular ‘White Shadow’ TV series from the late 70s starring Ken Howard?
Now Hollywood star Elizabeth Banks and basketball superstar LeBron James are teaming up to create an NBC dramatic series called ‘Hoops’ with production dates and release dates yet to be determined. The series flips the script; a female basketball star gets the chance to return to her alma mater to be the first female head coach of a men’s program, but the road is not easy. As they say, “ripped from the headlines of today” the series will remind you of a well-known southern coach who becomes embroiled in a sex scandal, only to have his former player return to resurrect the program. The executive producer of the series will be Jennifer Cecil, famous for her work in the ABC series “Notorious.”
LeBron James’ SpringHill Entertainment Group and Elizabeth’s Brownstone Productions are partners in the upcoming project.
—
Photo credit: Jaguar PS / Shutterstock.com