VIA: The Miami Heat's LeBron James may not have landed an MVP award this season, but he has landed a role in an upcoming Judd Apatow film, according to The Hollywood Reporter's Rebecca Ford.
The movie, called Trainwreck, will be headlined by Amy Schumer and Saturday Night Live alum Bill Hader. Apatow is best known for directing The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Knocked Up, but he has also produced a number of similar comedies, ranging from Superbad to the Anchorman movies.
So we should probably be expecting a few laughs out of LeBron and Co.
Per Ford, "James is already in business with Universal, the studio that is distributing Trainwreck. Universal recently acquired rights to a feature based on the high-school years of the Miami Heat star."
According to Variety's Justin Kroll, the untitled project was subject to an, "aggressive bidding war [that] has seen several studios vying for the film." It will be produced by Rachel Winter (who also produced Dallas Buyers Club), her husband Terrence, James himself and James' business manager, Maverick Carter.
As if the NBA season isn't long enough, James should remain pretty busy with his Hollywood exploits. He'll also co-star with Kevin Hart in a basketball comedy called Ballers. James will play Hart's brother, establishing a premise that's pretty funny in its own right.
When asked by TMZ if LeBron could act, Hart said, "LeBron James can do whatever he wants to do. You want to know why? LeBron James is a self-made man, so I think he can."
Deadline Hollywood's Mike Fleming Jr. notes that, "James has been looking to make his feature starring debut in this film for a couple of years, but it has taken time to get this project off the ground."
Miami's superstar was also rumored in February to be in an upcoming Space Jam 2 project, but that report was quickly refuted by those close to LeBron.
Some continue to hold out hope. Sports Illustrated's Martin Rickman wrote, "This doesn’t mean the project is dead. It could just be someone jumped the gun and contracts need to be signed, money needs to be moved around… whatever."
James will be joined in Trainwreck by Method Man of Wu-Tang Clan and How High fame. It's set to be released in July 2015.
It's hard to say what James' flurry of acting work will amount to. Shaquille O'Neal starred in a couple of films during his prime, and there's a precedent for NBA-based star power dating back to 1996's Space Jam. This could be the beginning of a new era for James, perhaps even a stepping stone to various media pursuits once his NBA career reaches its end.
For now, it's just a little extra exposure for the most famous NBA talent on the planet.
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