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Steph Curry Joins Bron, KD As Leaders Of New Sports Activism Film Genre

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NBA superstars LeBron James and Kevin Durant aren’t the only future Hall of Famers trying to make their mark in television and film projects by telling stories pertaining to sports and the exploitation of African-American student-athletes on the AAU level on up through college and even the pros.  

Golden State Warriors’ guard Steph Curry is nursing an injury this season, which gives him more time to devote to his growing faith and the major projects he’s also bringing to TV and film through his production company Electric avenue and his Unanimous media production banner. 

News of Curry dabbling in television and media isn’t surprising or anything new when it comes to professional athletes. We’ve seen LeBron James along with his childhood friends Randy Mims, Maverick Carter and Rich Paul create SpringHill Entertainment, Kevin Durant team up with YouTube for Thirty Five Media and Kobe Bryant win an Oscar for his animated film.

But, whats definitely the most interesting aspect of this deal is Curry’s faith-based content

The 31-year-old player said he wants to “uplift people who need to be uplifted.”

Signing Day

Sony was among the studios vying for Curry and Unanimous’ first-look deal. They plan to develop and produce premium television, film, and digital content, with an emphasis on family, faith and sports themes.

Among the notable projects that Curry has in the works is his movie with musical boss John Legend. Curry’s Unanimous Media, John Legend’s Get Lifted Film Co. and Sony Pictures are teaming up for the sports drama “Signing Day”.

Legend has been busy with his projects as well. Get Lifted is in post-production on Netflix’s first live-action musical, “Jingle Jangle,” launching in 2020, and also produced “Rhythm + Flow,” a music competition series on Netflix with Cardi B, Chance the Rapper and T.I.

The “Signing Day” project, which has secured famous screenwriter Adam Hoff, marks one of the first films to be put into development under Curry’s Sony deal, signed last year. 

The pic draws its inspiration from the classic movie “Jerry Maguire” and highlights an extremely driven sports agent trying desperately to sign a young, coveted basketball star as her client. 

In her desperation and determination, she considers resorting to illegal and unethical means to close the deal. 

Sounds familiar? Well, it’s another effort by an NBA superstar to expose the corruption and unscrupulous agents and system that stains what should be an enjoyable college recruiting process for so many young athletes. 

“We’ve been very selective about the things we want to bring to our audience,” Curry said. “In our first year, we really wanted to make people think, feel, laugh, cry and challenge them. When I’m out on the court, I’m all about inspiring people with my faith — win or lose. I try to do it with glory and with a smile on my face. We’re trying to take that same idea to our projects.”

Stephen vs. The Game

Another gem of a project Curry’s cheffing up features himself in his original docuseries “Stephen vs. The Game ” on Facebook Watch, a video-on-demand service.

“The six-episode series chronicles his journey through this past season, featuring behind-the-scenes footage of Curry’s intense training regiment, family life and old videos from his youth basketball career. He and his wife, Ayesha, open up about their first date, and the reasoning behind his ritual of writing the partial Bible verse “I can do all things” on his basketball shoes since his days at Davidson College. The Currys have three children.”

The Second Half

 According to Variety.com, the two-time MVP is also working with actor Will Arnett on an NBA-related series which is in development at Fox.

Titled “The Second Half,” the multi-camera comedy has been given a script plus penalty commitment by the network.

“The Second Half” takes a comedic look at a retired NBA player who moves back home to Charlotte. He purchases a car wash with the bag he made in the NBA but struggles to reconnect with his father, daughter, ex-girlfriend, and childhood best friend. 

He starts to realize that he’s a poor shooter when it comes to the game of life.

The movie is a collaboration of refined Hollywood minds. Sean Clemens, whose previous credits include “Making History,” “The Grinder,” “United We Fall,” is writing the script and executive producing.  

Curry and Arnett will serve as non-writing executive producers. Marc Forman will co-executive produce for Electric Avenue, alongside Jeron Smith, Erick Peyton, and Jenelle Lindsay for Unanimous Media, Tim Mcauliffe, and Peter Principato for Artists First.

In addition, Curry executive produces and appears in the riotous ABC mini-golf competition show “Holey Moley,” which was recently picked up for a second round. 

Leaders Of The New School

In the past, LeBron and KD’s production companies have partnered with television and film giants to create movies about the pitfalls of being an NCAA D-1 student-athlete and the exploitation of young athletes of color —  by schools, agents, coaches, and the media.  

Don’t forget to mention Steph Curry when we discuss the major NBA players who are trying to change the narrative by venturing into films and providing another cultural perspective to the sports landscape and the world of entertainment. 

These three players have competed against each other and battled it out for MVPs and championships for the past half-decade. Now they are competing to see whose TV and film production company can best improve the community and culture. Through art, they are tackling the corporation machine driving big-time athletics in America by exposing its flaws, leading to changes and making it less exploitative. 

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