Kobe Bryant Biopic in the Works
According to CinemaDrame News Agency, Warner Bros. has acquired the screenplay With the 8th Pick by Alex Sohn and Gavin Johannsen, which tells the behind-the-scenes story of the 1996 NBA Draft and the selection of Kobe Bryant.
A director has not yet been announced, but the story is told from the perspective of John Nash, then–general manager of the New Jersey Nets, and the team’s new coach John Calipari, who were both eager to draft Bryant. At the time, the Nets were a struggling franchise, while Bryant was a fan of the Los Angeles Lakers. His Adidas contract also stood to gain significant value if he joined the Lakers.
Had Calipari selected Bryant in the NBA Draft, the course of league history might have been permanently altered. The project has been described as a blend of The Social Network, Air, and Moneyball.
Producers include Tim White and Trevor White, known for King Richard, along with Ryan Stowell from Religion of Sports, the company founded by Tom Brady and Michael Strahan. Gotham Chopra, co-founder of Religion of Sports and director of the 2015 documentary Kobe Bryant’s Muse, will also produce.
Bryant tragically died at age 41 in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California. In 2018, he won an Academy Award for his animated short film Dear Basketball, based on his own poem about the game.
