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Disney+ has ordered basketball drama series The Crossover, which is based on the novel in verse by Kwame Alexander.
The Crossover follows “teen brothers Josh (Jalyn Hall) and JB Bell (Amir O’Neil), widely considered basketball phenomenon. Through his lyrical poetry, Josh narrates the story of their coming-of-age, on and off the court, as their former professional basketball player father adjusts to life after basketball, and their mother finally gets to pursue dreams of her own.”
Variety reports, the pilot was originally ordered in March 2021, and production is set to start in February.
Alexander co-wrote the pilot with Damani Johnson (All Rise), and George Tillman, Jr. (The Hate U Give) directed.
The SpringHill Company’s LeBron James, Maverick Carter and Jamal Henderson are executive producing, along with Todd Harthan, Johnson, Alexander, Tillman, Jr., Bob Teitel and Jay Marcus.
Published in 2014, The Crossover won the Newbery Medal and the Coretta Scott King Book Award Honor.
“We’re honored to bring Kwame Alexander’s poignant, emotional and poetic story to our Disney+ audience in partnership with this outstanding group of creative talent,” Ayo Davis, president, Disney Branded Television, said in a statement.
The Crossover also stars Derek Luke (The Purge) as Chuck Bell, Sabrina Revelle (Zac & Mia) as Crystal Bell, Skyla I’Lece (Turn: Washington’s Spies) as Alex, Deja Monique Cruz (Law & Order: SVU) as Maya, and Trevor Raine Bush (After) as Vondie.
With a few exceptions, Disney+ original series have focused on established, mainly Disney-owned IP. Now that the streamer is truly up and running, it’s time for it to branch out and look for new content.
It’s going to be interesting to see how the network does with The Crossover. We imagine having LeBron’s name attached will encourage the powers that be to throw the company’s full Disney weight behind it.
Will you check out The Crossover?
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