ESPN is moving from Michael Jordan to another G.O.A.T. The network ordered a nine-episode docu-series spotlighting Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady (yes, we know that sounds weird).
The series, titled “Man in the Arena,” will spotlight Brady’s top moments from his (still) going NFL career. The series will be co-produced with Brady’s newly-launched production company, 199 Productions, and Gotham Chopra for Religion of Sports.
It will premiere in 2021.
Brady, of course, is best known for his 20-year career with the New England Patriots, where he made nine Super Bowls, winning six of them. This offseason, Brady left his longtime home and signed a two-year contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was notably drafted with 199th pick in the 1999 draft (which is used as the namesake for his newly launched company) and took over in 2001 when Patriots’ QB Drew Bledsoe was knocked out of the second game that season. Brady led the Patriots to a stunning upset of the St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI.
Brady’s 199 Productions already has a slate of projects in development, including several featuring Brady, with stories spanning sports, entertainment and health and wellness among others. Brady has teamed up with “Avengers: Endgame Directors,” Anthony and Joe Russo and their AGBO studio’s non-fiction group, WONDERBURST, to produce a fast-paced, incandescent giant-screen 3D adventure, “Unseen Football”. The documentary will take viewers into the invisible realms of America’s favorite sport where they’ll be guided by Brady.
ESPN’s lauded 10-part “The Last Dance,” which ended on Sunday, cemented its place as the network’s most-watched documentary in its history, averaging 5.6 million across ESPN and ESPN2 over the 10 episodes. The series spotlighted Michael Jordan and his career with the Chicago Bulls.
You can watch a trailer for the series below:
Coming in 2021 …
Man in the Arena: @TomBrady pic.twitter.com/sObLdTXbIl
— ESPN (@espn) May 21, 2020