Another major sports docuseries is in the works, and this one has some major star power behind it.
Lakers star LeBron James and his SpringHill Company is in talks with Peyton Manning‘s Omaha Productions and Barack and Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground for a series that would follow professional basketball players, a source familiar with the discussions confirms to The Hollywood Reporter. The format would bring the same approach to the NBA that Omaha’s Quarterback brought to the NFL.
The NBA is also expected to be involved in the show, much as NFL Films is a partner on Quarterback. The Wall Street Journal, which first reported the news, says that the show will likely end on Netflix, where Higher Ground has a first-look deal, and where Quarterback emerged as a successful addition to the genre earlier this year.
It’s not immediately clear which players the series would follow, though other series have tried to follow a mix of superstars and lesser-known players.
SpringHill, founded by James and Maverick Carter, raised cash from RedBird, Nike, and Epic Games in 2021 at a $725 million valuation, and inked first-look deals with Disney and Universal for scripted TV and films, respectively. The company, which was behind the Space Jam reboot, among other media projects, has also served as a media incubator for other athletes, including tennis star Naomi Osaka.
Manning’s Omaha is behind the ESPN Manningcast Monday Night Football alternate telecast, and Peyton’s Places, in addition to Quarterback. The company raised money from Peter Chernin’s North Road Company earlier this year. The company is working on season two of Quarterback, though the QBs it will follow are yet to be revealed.
Higher Ground has a film and TV deal with Netflix, and a podcast deal with Audible. The company has found success with its documentaries, with its latest acquisition, American Symphony, seen as an Oscars contender.
The sports docuseries genre, while not a new format, has seen a resurgence in recent years thanks in part to Netflix, which has seen series following the lives of Formula 1 drivers (Drive to Survive) and PGA Tour golfers (Full Swing), not to mention stars like Patrick Mahomes (Quarterback) and David Beckham (Beckham) rise to the top of its streaming charts.
