Films about Ohio phenoms LeBron James and Nathaniel Ayers - 'More Than a Game' and 'The Soloist'

Films about Ohio phenoms LeBron James and Nathaniel Ayers - 'More Than a Game' and 'The Soloist' - open in local theaters

Robert Downey Jr. and Jamie Foxx in a scene from 'The Soloist'

The Soloist, starring Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey Jr., tells the true story of Cleveland native Nathaniel Ayers, a gifted young musician whose life falls into chaos when he is overtaken by schizophrenia.

Foxx plays Ayers and Downey Jr. plays journalist Steve Lopez, an L.A. Times columnist who encounters Ayers, now homeless, in downtown L.A. Lopez takes on Ayers' story - not believing, at first, that this talented homeless man once went to the Julliard School in New York - and the two form a bond of friendship unexpected by both.

Scenes of Ayers childhood were shot in Cleveland. Foxx was on hand for the shoot.

LeBron James and his St. Vincent-St. Mary teammates

LeBron documentary 'More Than a Game'

Another film coming soon about another Northeast Ohio phenomenon is More Than a Game. The documentary paints a portrait of Cleveland Cavaliers great LeBron James during his days at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron, Ohio.

More than that, it tells the story of how James worked his way through a difficult life to find friendship and family among his high school basketball teammates. The trailer is slick and the film looks like it could be the next Hoop Dreams. Certainly, it looks like it could have been a feature film. (And it was: 2023's Shooting Stars.)

With talk that James is shopping a TV show based on his life growing up in Akron, you can be sure that this documentary would serve as a great pilot.

Connect with Midwest Movie Maker on Facebook and Instagram …
… and don’t forget to subscribe to the Midwest Movie Maker newsletter

Comments

Mike Judge's 'Automated Trucking' one of several films awarded tax credits for 2025

Mike Judge and Alec Berg, creators of 'Automated Trucking' >>> Automated Trucking , a new comedy feature from Mike Judge, creator of Office Space , Beavis and Butthead , and King of the Hill , will shoot in Ohio this year - but where in Ohio is the real question. Automated Trucking was one of 14 projects awarded more than $26 million of $33 million in tax credits from the Ohio Department of Development’s Ohio Motion Picture Tax Credit Program (OMPTC) aimed at boosting production and infrastructure across the state. The newly launched Ohio Film & Theater Capital Improvements Tax Credit Program (OFATCI) will provide more than $7.3 million to support capital improvements for film and theater production. "Our film tax credits bring producers and stars to Ohio, and they create opportunities for the local businesses, skilled trades, and creatives already here," said Lydia Mihalik, director of the Ohio Department of Development. "The expansion of film in...

What's so 'Freaky' about Cleveland screenwriter Michael Kennedy?

Kathryn Newton and Vince Vaughn When Michael Kennedy was 16 years old, growing up in North Olmsted, Ohio, a group of his high school friends convinced him to get in a car, cruise to Westgate Mall , and buy tickets to see this new Drew Barrymore romantic comedy titled Scream. You know, the “romantic comedy” in which the masked killer dispatches Barrymore within the film’s first 10 minutes? The “romantic comedy” that completely turned the horror genre on its head, created by Cleveland’s own Wes Craven ? The uber meta motion picture that would change 16-year-old Michael Kennedy’s life forever? Yep, that Scream . “The thing is, I didn’t grow up on a diet of horror movies, and I think my friends knew this,” Kennedy says. They probably imagined they’d get a bit of bonus entertainment watching Kennedy squirm in his seat. “But here’s the thing. Within the first five minutes, I was completely enamored.” Flash forward nearly 25 years. Now it’s Kennedy’s turn to splatter the screen with lov...

‘Too Many Cooks’ creator shooting horror feature ‘Arnie’ in Cleveland this summer

AI imagines the characters from 'Arnie' >> The next juicy horror feature is about to creep onto the streets of Cleveland, and it comes from Chris “Casper” Kelly, creator of the cult classic Too Many Cooks . The feature, Arnie , is tentatively shooting from July through August in the Cleveland area, according to a casting call from Angela Boehm Casting . (It's a live-action film. We don't want our AI interpretation confuse you!) Arnie was one of 14 projects awarded more than $26 million of $33 million in tax credits from the Ohio Department of Development’s Ohio Motion Picture Tax Credit Program (OMPTC) aimed at boosting production and infrastructure across the state. Northeast Ohio’s Low Spark Films will produce. Filmmaker Casper Kelly Who is Casper Kelly? Kelly is an American writer, director, and producer known for his work in television and film. His work often blends humor, horror and absurdity. He gained attention with the viral short Too Many Cooks and ...

Midwest Movie Maker

Search This Blog