LeBron James during the 2022 NBA season.Photo: John McCoy/Getty
The “kid from Akron” is getting the Hollywood treatment! With production on theLeBron Jamesbiopic — here’s everything you need to know…
Shooting Starswill tell the story of James’s childhood years and his time with his group of high school teammates he dubbed the Fab 5 as they set out to take home the high school national championship, according toCleveland.com.
“A lot of it we want to stay very true to LeBron’s story,” casting director Angela Boehm told the site.
“We are looking to create the atmosphere of what his story looked like. Cheerleaders, band members stadium fans, librarians, cafeteria workers, all of it,” Boehm said on April 10 of her agency’s search for 600 extras.
Ron Hoskins/NBAE via Getty Images
Fans of the four-time NBA champion are familiar with his Akron, Ohio, pride and passion for giving back to the city. James told theLos Angeles Times, “When you grow up in Akron, Ohio, you already feel like no one cares about you too much.”
TheSpace Jam 2star continued, “And the only people that really care about you are the ones from that town. When you are in certain community centers, in certain gyms, you look for inspiration—people who came before you, people who were already there.”
WKYCreportedthat filming began on April 18 in Cleveland’s Beachwood suburb, with key production dates on April 19-25, May 4-6 and June 2, according to a casting notice on the Greater Cleveland Film Commission’s website.
D Dipasupil/FilmMagic
Boehm explained that in addition to giving back to James' hometown, filming in Akron will give the film a more authentic feel. “So, filming in that area and using Akron locals is so great for us because it’s real. And that’s what we want is truth and to tell real stories,” Boehm said.
“We’re so excited to have this Hollywood production in the neighborhood,” a representative for Slavic Village Developmentshared in a tweet. The post included three photos from the set as the Universal production transformed a local recreation center into James' St. Vincent-St. Mary High School.
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James' biopic was originally announced in 2018 whenDeadlinereported director Chris Robinson was directing the project.
The film has two pages on IMDb, one with itsShooting Starstitle and a second listed asUntitled LeBron James Project.Both pages confirm that producers Maverick Carter, Terence and Rachel Winter and writer Frank E. Flowers are attached.
source: people.com
