LeBron James and his business partner Maverick Carter have signed a production deal with Warner Bros. to develop movies, TV shows and digital content for the studio under their SpringHill Entertainment banner, TheWrap has learned.
The star of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Judd Apatow’s “Trainwreck” has been moving into filmed entertainment as the executive producer of the Starz series “Survivor’s Remorse.”
Warner Bros. and SpringHill will co-produce and co-own every project they do together, though WB will retain full ownership of the copyright of any content that falls under the deal. SpringHill will be able to shop projects to other studios and networks if Warner Bros. isn’t interested.
James has carefully cultivated his personal brand and Warner Bros. will help extend its reach across the globe. It’s even possible that King James could find himself wearing a cape one day, as he’d be a natural fit for the studio’s DC Movie Universe. The studio has also been developing “Space Jam 2” with him in mind.
In the past, athletes such as Michael Jordan, Jim Brown and even O.J. Simpson have made the transition from the court/field to the big screen, but only Magic Johnson has successfully parlayed his basketball career into becoming a major media mogul.
“LeBron James has one of the most powerful, well-known brands in the world and we are excited to be in business with him and his partner, Maverick Carter, and SpringHill Entertainment,” said Warner Bros. chief Kevin Tsujihara, who was heavily involved in the negotiations with James despite the fact that he identifies as a fan of the Golden State Warriors, who beat James’ Cavaliers in the NBA Finals. “The combination of LeBron’s global media presence and Warner Bros.’ unmatched production and distribution expertise is a big win for fans everywhere. We’re excited to welcome LeBron and Maverick to the Warner Bros. family and look forward to partnering on incredible projects that will connect with consumers across a variety of platforms.”
“Connecting with my fans and telling meaningful stories have always been my passion. In everything I’ve done, from Nike commercials to Uninterrupted and Survivor’s Remorse, it’s always about connecting with people of all ages and providing unique content they can all enjoy,” said James. “And I’ve always loved movies, which makes Warner Bros. the ultimate partner to help us continue to push the envelope. I can’t wait to see what we come up with.”
“In everything we do, we think long and hard about how we want to grow and partners that can help us bring our content to the next level. And we’re always looking for new, creative ways to explore ideas that haven’t been done before, and this partnership with Warner Bros. will open a lot of doors for that,” added Maverick Carter, CEO of SpringHill Entertainment. “We want SpringHill to be a leader in the original content-creating space, and this partnership with a major player in the entertainment industry like Warner Bros. will help us continue to grow in the right direction.”