The cast of 'Survivor's Remorse,' LeBron James and Maverick Carter's new Starz Network sit-com |
We had a little fun this summer after NBA superstar and Akron , Ohio ,
native and resident LeBron James announced his return to the Cleveland
Cavaliers. We thought it would be fun to cast
the film version of his return to Northeast Ohio. We had no idea James was
already deeply involved in film projects of his own.
In late September, James, along with Springhill Productions
partner Maverick Carter, one of James’ childhood friends, debut Survivor’s Remorse
on the Starz network. The comedy deals with a young basketball phenom as he
makes his way in the big leagues. The show is less a reflection of James’ real
life than it is of his and Carter’s survivor’s guilt for becoming incredibly
successful.
“I explained to Tom how I have it sometimes, because of my family and my
neighborhood where I come from,” Carter told The New York Times recently. Tom is Tom Werner, producer of Roseanne and The Cosby Show. “There’s a lot of good people there, and not all of
them, to use a phrase, make it out. And I did. But a lot of times I feel bad
about making it when they didn’t. I have survivor’s remorse.”
At the end of October, James and Carter will debut Becoming, a half-hour programs that profiles the early life of the
world’s top athletes. The show is aimed at kids and will debut on Disney XD on
Oct. 26 at 8 p.m. It is produced in conjunction with ESPN Films.
James with comedian/actress/writer/producer Amy Schumer |
“I’m really excited about helping develop Becoming and bringing this kind of program to kids,” James tells The
Disney Blog. “Sports and athletes were my inspiration growing up. It
was the stories about Michael Jordan, Deion Sanders, and Allen Iverson that
kept me dreaming. When I learned that they had some of the same struggles and
challenges I did, it made everything seem possible. That’s what Becoming is all about.”
The first episode spotlights James growing up in Akron
and finding success at St. Vincent-St. Mary
High School . The episode was filmed on
location in Akron .
James also spent part of his summer shooting Trainwreck,
a comedy by writer/actress/comedian/producer Amy Schumer. James stars as a
slightly fictional version of himself – one that is best friends with comedian
Bill Hader’s character. Legendary director Judd Apatow (we can call him
legendary, right?) helms the comedy.
And he may also star opposite comedian Kevin Hart in the film Ballers.
The film tells the tale of Kevin Hart’s character, the brother of an NBA
superstar, aptly played by James. The film is supposed to partially take place
at a fantasy camp in Miami .
Maybe they’ll have to change that to Cleveland ?
For now, the movie remains in development.
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