LeBron James takes a shot with Warner Bros to make movies, TV shows

Basketball icon LeBron James is the latest sports star to make the leap to the screen - on and off camera. | GALLERY

This image released by Universal Pictures shows Amy Schumer, left, and LeBron James, in a scene from the comedy, Trainwreck. (Mary Cybulski/Universal Pictures via AP)

LeBron James is taking his talents to Burbank.

The basketball icon and co-star of the newly-released movie Trainwreck is forming a production partnership with Time Warner’s Warner Bros. Entertainment that spans movies, television and digital content.

The deal pairs the world’s No. 1 basketball star with the largest television and movie studio, based in Burbank, California. For Mr James, the agreement will provide him with a home to build on his entertainment aspirations and the backing of a media giant with global reach.

“To be able to partner with Warner Bros. will allow me to do some things I’ve always dreamed of,” said Mr James, a longtime TV and movie buff who said he used to fantasise about being Batman.

Warner Bros. will have an alliance with SpringHill Entertainment, the production company Mr James co-founded with his business partner Maverick Carter in 2013. SpringHill, which already produces television shows, had been shopping for a studio partnership for several months and talks with Warner Bros. heated up in the spring.

“This is not a vanity deal,” said Warner Bros. Chief Executive Kevin Tsujihara. “Warner Bros. always needs to be thinking about bringing fresh perspectives and diverse voices into the company.”

Sport stars turned film stars

Under the arrangement, Warner Bros. and SpringHill will co-produce and co-own everything they do together, Mr Carter said.

Neither company would disclose specifics of the deal, but according to people familiar with the matter Warner Bros. will hold the copyright of any SpringHill content made as part of the agreement while SpringHill will share in the profits.

If SpringHill has a project Warner Bros. isn’t interested in making, Mr James and Mr Carter can shop it to other outlets, Mr. Carter said.

Mr James already has ties to Time Warner. SpringHill produces “Uninterrupted” for Bleacher Report, the sports-centric digital platform that is a unit of Time Warner’s Turner Broadcasting. In addition, Time Warner board member and Main Street Advisors Chief Executive Paul Wachter is part of Mr James’ inner circle as well and played matchmaker for the deal.

“This is not about making a movie or a couple of TV shows,” Mr. Carter said. “We want to build a company.”

The deal could include projects starring Mr James — but that isn’t the priority. “If it’s the right script and it’s authentic to who I am then I’m not afraid to show my face on camera and try it,” he said.

Athletes have long been making the transition from sports to entertainment, from swimmer-turned “Tarzan” star Johnny Weissmuller to football greats such as Jim Brown and Alex Karras, who enjoyed successful acting careers.

NBA stars have also appeared in some less-celebrated flicks, such as “Space Jam,” which featured Michael Jordan alongside Looney Tunes characters, and “Kazaam” with Shaquille O’Neal.

But few athletes have managed to become a force behind the camera in the way Mr James is attempting.

Mr James has long shown a desire to transfer his on-the-court prowess to the business world.

He has hobnobbed with Warren Buffett and Bill Gates and has attended the Allen & Co. annual gathering of business titans in Sun Valley, joking at the time that he was “the small guy” in the room.

There are other routes for athletes in the media business. Magic Johnson, whose attempt at hosting a late-night talk show flopped, found later success owning a chain of movie theatres and now has ownership of the Aspire cable channel and a stake in the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Development deals between movie and TV studios and content creators range in scope and size.

Most include office space and funds for creative executives. More established producers often have deals that include a fund to develop projects for movies and television and top-tier producers have what is known as a “first-look fee” in which the studio pays for the right to have first crack at new material, usually before there is even a script.

Among SpringHill’s current roster of shows is the comedy “Survivor’s Remorse” for the pay-TV channel Starz, about a rookie adjusting to life in the NBA and all the potential pitfalls that come with that. Its second season starts next month. SpringHill also is a producer on “Becoming,” a show for Walt Disney’s Disney XD network, and it is making a game show for NBC.

Mr Tsujihara, a huge sports fan, took a hands-on role in the negotiations although his loyalty to the Golden State Warriors, which defeated Mr James’s Cavaliers in the NBA Finals, didn’t help negotiations.

“It was somewhat awkward but we were able to overcome it,” Mr Tsujihara said.

Wall Street Journal