It might not come with the hype and fanfare of ESPN’s The Last Dance, but another basketball movie is in the works. This time it will be scripted and tell the life story of NBA Hall-of-Famer Bernard King.
When Rodney Henry first learned that King’s autobiography Game Face was being published in 2017, he offered to turn it into a film and last October, the producer purchased its movie rights. Henry’s connection to King interestingly enough dates back to attending a basketball camp held by the former Knicks’ star while he was recovering from ACL surgery in 1985.
Henry’s Protégé Pictures will work alongside Ted Field of Radar Pictures for the biopic. Field’s extensive resume includes serving as the executive producer of the highly successful Jumanji franchise.
“This film is more than just an athlete and the love of the game,’’ Henry told Marc Berman of The New York Post. “It is an inspiring story that encourages hope, but also helps teach people that with any situation, perseverance, hard work and determination could overcome anything. I wanted to turn his words into life.”
King’s story was also told in the 2013 ESPN 30 for 30 Bernie and Ernie, a documentary depicting the close friendship of Bernard King and Ernie Grunfeld, college and pro teammates whose journey saw them come from vastly different backgrounds.
Although the COVID-19 pandemic has shutdown movie production in Hollywood, Henry told The Post he’s able to continue the process of interviewing actors. No time frame for when the movie might be released was announced.
Brandon Contes is a former reporter for BSM, now working for Awful Announcing. You can find him on Twitter @BrandonContes or reach him by email at Brandon.Contes@gmail.com.
