SHOOTING STARS

SHOOTING STARS

Feature Film

Universal

Executive Producers: Spencer Beighley, Jamal Henderson

Producers: LeBron James, Maverick Carter, Rachel Winter, Terence Winter

Director: Chris Robinson

Writer: Frank E. Flowers
Revisions:  Juel Taylor & Tony Rettenmaier

Casting Director: Kim Coleman

Associate Casting Director: Shelby Cherniet
Casting Assistant: Irie Williams

Start Date: October 25, 2021 (potential training camp needed before)

Location: Ohio


Seeking:

[ LEBRON JAMES ]
Male, Black, 15 – 18; He is tall, physically imposing black teenager is already a formidable basketball player who is quickly establishing himself as a force to be reckoned with in the sport. LeBron has been raised in modest circumstances by a single mom whose belief in him never wavers for an instant. He and his best friends, Lil Dru, Sian and Willie, have been known as the Fab 4 ever since middle school, and they are inseparable both on and off the court. At St. Vincent's Catholic School in Akron, they rack up amazing victories beginning in their freshman year. But LeBron's meteoric rise to stardom puts a strain, not only on him, but on his teammates, who feel eclipsed by all the hoopla surrounding him. When he is suspended in his senior year for the paltry "offense" of accepting a jersey from a fan, LeBron realizes just how much the loss of his team -- and his friends -- has meant to him.. He petitions to be reinstated for the final game of the season, going out on a high note -- and reconnecting with his "brotherhood" at the same time -- friendships that will last a lifetime...LEAD (14) PLEASE SUBMIT TALENT WITH BASKETBALL PLAYING SKILLS.

[ DRU JOYCE "LIL DRU" ]
Male, Black, 15 – 18; He is LeBron's fellow teammate and one of his best friends, a strong-willed force of nature who, despite his small stature, is a force to be reckoned with on the basketball court. He’s known by the Fab 4 as “The General”.  He's the son of their long-time basketball coach, and hails from a stable, churchgoing family.  When Lil Dru realizes that he will be relegated to junior varsity at their new high school, he engineers their move to St. Vincent's, a Catholic School in Akron. Their team soon passes into legend, as LeBron gains national headlines for his almost supernatural skills. However, as Lil Dru's dad pours all his energies into LeBron's career, neglecting the other boys on the team -- even his own son -- the resentment between LeBron and his teammates festers.  But when the "Brotherhood" comes together again for a triumphant championship match -- the final game of their senior year -- they come back together again, not only as a team, but as lifelong friends...LEAD (14) PLEASE SUBMIT TALENT WITH BASKETBALL PLAYING SKILLS.

[ WILLIE ]
Male, Black, 15 – 18; He is another of the Fab 4, a friend of LeBron and Lil Dru since childhood. Also an amazing basketball player, Willie had a rocky childhood; both his parents were addicts and he has been raised by his older brother. He found direction and purpose through basketball, and for some time he was considered the best player in the city.  That makes it doubly difficult when LeBron catapults to fame, leaving Willie in his shadow. Still a stand-up guy and a team player, Willie sacrifices all for his team and his teammates, sustaining a bad injury trying to lock down a victory in a hotly contested game. He is also alienated from LeBron for a time -- but they come together again in the final championship game of their senior year...LEAD (14) PLEASE SUBMIT TALENT WITH BASKETBALL PLAYING SKILLS.

[ ROMEO TRAVIS ]
Male, Black, 15 – 18; He is a player from a rival team who ends up at St. Vincent's.  A hostile, sullen youth with a very bad rep (he supposedly stabbed somebody, a charge that later proves untrue,) he winds up playing on the St. Vincent's team. Initially suspicious of the Fab 4, he rejects their friendly overtures. But they end up bonding on the basketball court, where Romeo proves a talented player who knows how to win.  Before long, he has become an accepted member of the group, now known as the Fab 5.  Also alienated from LeBron, whose fame has briefly gone to his head, Romeo learns that LeBron regrets his actions and is determined to reconnect with his teammates -- starting with the final game of their senior year...LEAD (32) PLEASE SUBMIT TALENT WITH BASKETBALL PLAYING SKILLS.

[ SIAN COTTON ]
Male, Black, 15 – 18; He is another member of the Fab 4, and has been best friends with the other guys since childhood.  A bit chunky in build, with a physique more suited to a footballer than a basketball player, Sian is nonetheless a vital member of the St. Vincent's team as they rise to stardom. Raised in a stable home, with a family that attends church with Lil Dru's, he's a happy, funny kid who mostly goes with the flow -- until there is a game to be won. Then, he's all business. He splits his time between basketball and football, his new love at St. Vincent's, and ultimately winds up playing college football on a scholarship...LEAD (14)  PLEASE SUBMIT TALENT WITH BASKETBALL PLAYING SKILLS.


Storyline: This is the amazing true story of a Catholic school basketball team in Akron Ohio in the early 2000s that gave rise to legendary player LEBRON JAMES, widely considered to be one of the greatest players who ever graced the sport.  Raised together, the teammates -- youths from modest, sometimes underprivileged circumstances -- are a band of brothers who play as a single organism as they score amazing victories that put them increasingly in the public eye.  However, as young LeBron shoots to fame, eclipsing his friends, the pressures of his mounting celebrity threaten to split this brotherhood apart -- until the final championship game of their senior year reconnects the bonds of friendship that will last a lifetime...