LeBron James’ SpringHill Signs First Look Deal With Universal

The SpringHill Company, the brand built by NBA superstar LeBron James and co-founder Maverick Carter, has signed a four-year first-look deal with Universal Pictures, Donna Langley, Universal Filmed Entertainment Group chairman, announced on Tuesday. Both companies also announced three projects that are currently in various stages of development. The first project, first announced in 2018, is “Untitled LeBron James Project,” based on the book “Shooting Stars” by LeBron James and Buzz Bissinger recounting events in James’ early life. The film adaptation of “Shooting Stars,” which The SpringHill Company is producing with Terence and Rachel Winter, will be directed by Chris Robinson and was written by Frank E. Flowers with current revisions by Tony Rettenmaier & Juel Taylor. The other projects are “New Kid,” based on the 2019 graphic novel by Jerry Craft, and “Catch the Wave,” based on an original pitch by Ali Kinney. “LeBron, Maverick and the team at SpringHill are content creators with a purpose, and we’re excited to partner with filmmakers who challenge us to tell stories that move culture forward,” Langley said in a statement. “SpringHill’s projects are compelling, entertaining, inspiring and aim to start important conversations, which we need now more than ever. We’re already partnering with LeBron and Maverick on some exciting projects in active development, with more to come, and we look forward to leveraging our resources across the NBCU portfolio to amplify those titles and bring important voices like SpringHill to a global audience.” James, Carter and The SpringHill Company were represented in the deal by WME and Ziffren Brittenham LLP.