Reservation DogsduoSydney FreelandandSterlin Harjoare reteaming on the Native American basketball movieRez Ball, whichLeBron Jameswill produce for Netflix. The coming-of-age sports drama is inspired byMichael Powell’s nonfiction sports novelCanyon Dreamsas well as the New York Times articles that preceded it.
Described as “Friday Night LightsmeetsHoosiers,“Rez Ballexplores the raw and exhilarating world of “reservation basketball” with its unique, lightning-quick pace that is rumored to have influenced top NBA teams and coaches throughout the years. The story follows the Chuska Warriors, a Native American high school basketball team from Chuska, New Mexico that must band together after losing their star player if they want to keep their quest for a state championship alive. It’s an all-American underdog story about Navajo kids and coaches told by people from that community, as Freeland herself was born and raised on a Navajo reservation in Gallup, New Mexico.
She’ll directRez Balland co-write the script with Harjo, and the film will be a co-production betweenMaurícioandKatie Mota’s Wise Entertainment (East Los High) and James andMaverick Carter’s The SpringHill Company, whoseSpencer BeighleyandJamal Hendersonwill serve as executive producers. Production will take place in New Mexico, andRez Ballwill be shot on actual reservations with the permission and support of the local sovereign tribal nations.
“Basketball on the Rez is like high school football in West Texas. It has a fanatical following that few sports can rival. I’m also excited to be working with Sterlin Harjo on this. He has brought so much insight, humor, and heart to this story,” said Freeland. “This is a story that’s commonplace on Indian reservations all over the U.S., but most people aren’t even aware it exists. What we want to do is bring people into our world, to tell a story about the people and places we know, and what better way to do that than through a sports movie?”
RELATED:First ‘Reservation Dogs’ Trailer Reveals the Impact of Taika Waititi’s Indigenous Comedy Series
“We could not be more excited to bring this beautiful, powerful story to life with this amazing team. We are eternally grateful to the strategic guidance and advice of the Native American community inside and outside of Hollywood, especiallyJodi Archambault(Hunkpapa/Olgala Lakota),Crystal Echo Hawk(Pawnee),Bird Runningwater(Cheyenne/Mescalero Apache), andNotah Begay III(Navajo/San Felipe/Isleta). It was through this community that we were connected with the extraordinary multi-hyphenates Sydney Freeland and Sterlin Harjo whom we spent the last several years developing the script with. We are so honored to be working with them and the brilliant team at The SpringHill Company,” added Maurício Mota. “Rez Ballaims to be a love letter to the contributions Native Americans have made to basketball and also a launchpad for Native talent both in front of and behind the camera, ready to make their mark in the industry. We want this to be a blueprint for how to balance excellent storytelling with impact and pipeline development.”
Freeland is an Emmy-nominated film and TV writer and director whose debut featureDrunktown’s Finestwas influenced by her experience growing up on the Navajo reservation. The movie premiered at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival and was executive produced byRobert Redford. Freeland followed that film with the Netflix movieDeidra and Laney Rob a Train, which premiered at Sundance in 2017. In addition to writing and directing episodes of FX’s upcoming comedy seriesReservation Dogs, Freeland’s TV directing credits includeGrey’s Anatomy,Fear the Walking Dead, andRutherford Falls, among others.
Harjo (Seminole/Muscogee Creek) serves as showrunner onReservation Dogs, which he also executive produces withTaika Waititi. The show follows four young teens in rural Oklahoma, and all of the lead actors are Indigenous along with the writing staff and the show’s directors. Harjo has additional projects set up with Amazon, FX, and Showtime.
The SpringHill Company recently producedSpace Jam: A New Legacyand its upcoming projects includeAdam Sandler’s basketball-themed Netflix movieHustleand a reboot ofHouse Partyfor New Line. Meanwhile, Wise Entertainment has a first-look deal with Amazon for TV, where they have several shows in development in addition to projects with Imagine Entertainment, HBO Max, and Wiip.
Freeland is represented by Luber Roklin Entertainment, the Gersh Agency and attorney Nina Shaw, while Harjo is repped by APA, Circle of Confusion and the law firm of Del Shaw Moonves, which also reps Wise Entertainment along with CAA. James is repped by WME.
KEEP READING:Adam Sandler, LeBron James Team Up for Netflix Basketball Movie ‘Hustle’
