LeBron James Set to Produce a Female-Led LEAN ON ME Series and a Basketball Drama
LeBron James continues his move into Hollywood as he is set to produce two new TV series that are going into development.
The first is a female-led drama series inspired by the classic film Lean on Me. The series is set up at The CW and he will be producing the series with John Legend. Variety offers the following description:
In the series, spirited young black teacher Amarie Baldwin scores the principal job at an Akron, Ohio, public high school. She must dig deep to transform a failing campus into an urban oasis. In a time when education and school safety have life-or-death stakes, Amarie will take on a broken system that tests her mettle, love life and family.
The series comes from Wendy Calhoun, who will serve as the writer and executive producer. She previously worked on ABC’s Station 19 along with shows such as Empire, Nashville, Justified, and Revenge.
Lean On Me was a favorite movie on mine growing up. I still watch it from time to time because it tells such a great and inspiring story. Hopefully, this series captures that spirit.
The other project that LeBron is working on is a basketball drama called Hoops. The project is set up at NBC and he is producing it alongside Elizabeth Banks. Variety offers the following story description:
In the one-hour series, after years on the road as both a star player and coach in the WNBA, Stevie Decker jumps at the chance to return to her alma mater to become the first female head coach of a men’s college basketball team. But coming home isn’t easy as her career took a toll on her family and the school she loves is embroiled in a sex scandal involving her mentor, a legendary former coach. NBC has given the project a script commitment with a penalty attached.
The series comes from executive producer Jennifer Cecil, who previously worked on shows such as Notorious, Hell on Wheels, Private Practice, Brothers & Sisters, One Tree Hill, and Providence.
LeBron James is filling up a pipeline of projects to work on. Hopefully they turn out good!