Whatever it is you’re doing, it can wait. There is a trailer for the new Lakers project on HBO Max and it deserves your immediate attention.
The show, which was previously just referred to as the Untitled Lakers Project, has a name: Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty. It also has a premiere date: March 2022.
It doesn’t matter if you’re a basketball fan because this is one that you’re going to want to check out the moment the series begins. Once you watch the trailer, even after just a few seconds, it won’t take long for you to figure out why.
They leaned all the way into the 1980s vibe and it looks like just the right amount of camp for easy watching every week. Plus, it looks like they are including a scene of when Kareem Abdul-Jabbar acted in Airplane! (1980):
Style. Pizzazz. Basketball.#WinningTime, a new @HBO original series from Adam McKay, comes to @HBOMax in March. pic.twitter.com/tkgXoI7CEy
— Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty (@winningtimehbo) December 9, 2021
Winning Time is produced by Academy Award-winner Adam McKay, who has directed comedies like Anchorman (2004) and dramas including The Big Short (2015). He has also produced HBO shows Succession and Eastbound & Down.
It is based on sportswriter Jeff Pearlman’s book Showtime: Magic, Kareem, Riley, and the Los Angeles Lakers Dynasty of the 1980s.
If you were paying close attention to the trailer, you will notice some big-name actors like John C. Reilly (portraying Jerry Buss), Jason Segal (as coach Paul Westphal) and Adrien Brody (as coach Pat Riley).
While it sucks that Reilly’s casting decision hurt McKay’s relationship with Will Ferrell and it also sucks that Bo Burnham is no longer playing Boston Celtics legend Larry Bird, the rest of the cast still looks incredible and Reilly is capturing the essence of the eccentric late Lakers owner.
I’m excited to see how the newbies do in their big roles because based on what we’ve seen so far, it seems like we’ll have some new stars to fall in love with as well.
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