Starz Picks Up Basketball Comedy From LeBron James & Mike O’Malley To Series
Starz has given an official series pickup to Survivor’s Remorse, a half-hour scripted comedy series executive produced by NBA star LeBron James, Mike O’Malley, Tom Werner, James’ manager Maverick Carter and Paul Wachter. I hear the order is for 6 episodes. The project, written by O’Malley, had been on fast-track development and considered a front-runner for the Q4 slot that became open in December when Starz pulled out of its commitment to Sky Atlantic’s upcoming drama series Fortitude. Survivor’s Remorse, which had assembled a small writers room and had started preliminary casting for the two leads in anticipation of a series pickup, will debut next fall. Its green light comes on the heels of Starz ordering ballet drama Flesh And Bone for 2015.
Survivors Remorse is set in the world of professional basketball and explores the comedy and drama of what truly happens when you make it out. “Ever since I got cut from the freshman hoop team at Bishop Guertin High School in 1980, I’ve wanted to write about my love and hatred of basketball,” said O’Malley. “Starz has given us great freedom to explore an authentic world inspired by Maverick and LeBron.” The story follows Cam Calloway, a basketball phenom in his early 20s who is thrust into the limelight after signing a multimillion-dollar contract with a pro team. Cam, along with his cousin and confidant Reggie Vaughn, move to Georgia to start Cam’s journey to success. The two confront the challenges of carrying opportunistic family members and their strong ties to the impoverished community that they come from.
“Mike has infused the world of Survivor’s Remorse with humor and heart, Starz CEO Chris Albrecht said. “Along with LeBron, Maverick, Tom and Paul, we feel we really have an all-star team to capture the complexity and comedy inherent to this series.”
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