CODA 's Troy Kotsur will star in Disney+ series about the true story of a deaf high school football team
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Troy Kotsur has set his next post-Oscar project.
Kotsur, who made history in March when he became the first deaf male actor and the second deaf performer overall to win an acting Oscar for his supporting turn in CODA, is set to star in and executive produce a Disney+ series based on the football team from the California School for the Deaf Riverside (CSDR). Kotsur will play the team's coach in the series, which is currently untitled.
ABC Signature and Disney Branded Television are developing, and have partnered with the CSDR, their football program, and the California Department of Education, and secured the rights to the story of the 2021 Cubs Football team. In 2021, the Cubs went undefeated and earned a spot in the California State Championship game for the first time in school history, playing mostly hearing teams along the way. Their success captured national attention, leading to their captains being on the field during the coin flip at Super Bowl LVI in February of this year.
The series will not only follow the historical undefeated football season, but will also tell stories of the Deaf community — students, teachers, and families — both on and off the field. The writing and production team, both in front of and behind the cameras, will include artists from the Deaf community.
Ron Shelton (Bull Durham; White Men Can't Jump; Tin Cup) is attached to direct the pilot, executive produce, as well as write the pilot along with Ben Shelton (Candy Jar) who will write and executive produce. Kevin Falls (The West Wing, This Is Us, Pitch) will executive produce and will serve as showrunner.
The project will see Kotsur reunite with his CODA co-star Marlee Matlin, who will serve as executive producer. Additional executive producers include Bert Salke, Gary Foster, Russ Krasnoff, Rainn Wilson, Jack Jason, Bill Horberg, and Christina Lurie. John Maucere, a CSDR alumnus, will consult and co-produce.
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