Universal Pictures and Peacock Reveal Exclusive First Look at the New Feature Film Shooting Stars
The Inspiring Origin Story of Four-time NBA Champion Lebron James and His Childhood Friends Will Be Released Exclusively on Peacock June 2
The 30-second First-Look Spot Will Premiere During the 46th Annual McDonald’s All-American Games on March 28 at 9 P.m. Et on ESPN and the ESPN App
The Film Stars Five-star High School Small Forward Marquis “Mookie” Cook, in His Film Debut, as Lebron James.
Mookie Cook and Lebron James’ Son, Bronny James, Will Be Playing Together on the “West” Team in the Boys’ All-American Game, Which Airs at 9 P.M. ET on ESPN on March 28
Each Year, the Mcdonald’s All-American Games Selects the 48 Best Male and Female High School Basketball Players in the Country for Two Exhibition Games.
Proceeds Benefit Ronald Mcdonald House Charities® and Its Network of Local Chapters
Universal City, Calif., March 28, 2023 —Universal Pictures and Peacock today announced that the exclusive first look 30-second spot of the new feature film, Shooting Stars, will premiere tonight during the 46th Annual McDonald’s All American Games at 9pm ET on March 28, 2023.
Shooting Stars, based on the book by LeBron James and the Pulitzer Prize winning author of Friday Night Lights, Buzz Bissinger, is the inspiring origin story of a basketball superhero, revealing how LeBron James and his childhood friends become the #1 high school team in the country, launching James’s breathtaking career as a four-time NBA Champion, two-time Olympic Gold Medalist and the NBA’s all-time leading scorer.
Shooting Stars will be released exclusively on Peacock on June 2, 2023.
The film, directed by Emmy nominee Chris Robinson (Beats, Grown-ish), stars five-star high school small forward Marquis “Mookie” Cook, in his film debut, as a young LeBron James. Cook and LeBron James’s son, top-ranked combo guard Bronny James, will play together on the West team in boys’ All American game at 9 p.m. EST on March 28. The McDonald’s All American Games, benefitting Ronald McDonald House Charities® and its network of local chapters, will be held at Toyota Center, home of the Houston Rockets, in Houston, Texas. The boys’ game will air on ESPN. LeBron James himself played in the same game exactly 20 years ago, when he was in high school.
Shooting Stars is set in the 1990s, where a young LeBron James (Cook) and his three best friends — Lil Dru (Caleb McLaughlin, Stranger Things), Willie McGee (Avery S. Wills, Jr., Swagger) and Sian Cotton (Khalil Everage, Cobra Kai)—declare themselves the “Fab Four,” after the famed Michigan Wolverines’ “Fab Five” of that era. From the moment we meet them, we realize this group of friends, under the guidance of coach Dru Joyce (Wood Harris; Creed franchise), is connected by more than basketball.
So, when the coach at the top basketball school in their district threatens to separate them by putting Lil Dru on junior varsity, the Fab Four decide to switch schools to be able to play varsity together, joining the team at a predominantly white Catholic school instead. The community takes this as an insult, but the boys’ dedication to each other is more important than anything else.
With their new coach (Dermot Mulroney; August: Osage County), a disgraced former college coach seeking redemption of his own, the boys, along with former rival and new teammate Romeo Travis (newcomer Sterling “Scoot” Henderson), will face battles not only on the court but in real life, in their quest to become national champs, and will rediscover that what matters most about the game is the people playing beside you.
The film’s screenplay is by Frank E. Flowers (Metro Manila) and Tony Rettenmaier (Space Jam: A New Legacy) & Juel Taylor (Creed II), based on the book by LeBron James and Buzz Bissinger.
The film is produced by Academy Award® nominee Rachel Winter p.g.a. (Dallas Buyers Club), Spencer Beighley p.g.a. (executive producer Hustle), LeBronJames, Maverick Carter (Space Jam: A New Legacy), Jamal Henderson (Executive Producer, The Shop) and Academy Award® nominee and Emmy winner Terence Winter (Boardwalk Empire). The film is executive produced by Gretel Twombly.
About Peacock
Peacock is NBCUniversal’s streaming service. Peacock delivers a world-class slate of exclusive originals, on-demand libraries of hit TV shows, plus critically acclaimed films from the vaults of Universal Pictures, Focus Features, DreamWorks Animation, Illumination, and Hollywood’s biggest studios. In addition, Peacock taps into NBCUniversal’s unmatched ability to deliver a broad range of compelling topical content across news, sports, late-night, Spanish-language, and reality. NBCUniversal is a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation.
About Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures is a division of Universal Studios (www.universalstudios.com). Universal Studios is part of NBCUniversal. NBCUniversal is one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production and marketing of entertainment, news and information to a global audience. NBCUniversal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group and world-renowned theme parks. NBCUniversal is a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation.
About the McDonald’s All American Games
The McDonald’s All American Games have benefitted Ronald McDonald House Charities® (RMHC®) and its network of local Chapters since their inception. The 2023 Games will benefit Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Houston / Galveston. Throughout Games week, fans will also have the chance to support the RMHC mission through donation opportunities at various Games activities. RMHC helps bring communities together to support children and families throughout their healthcare journey by providing comfort, care and vital resources, when it’s needed most.
For more information about the McDonald’s All American Games, and Games week activities, please visit www.mcdaag.com and follow @McDAAG on Twitter and Instagram to receive exclusive access to Games announcements and a behind-the-scenes look at current and past McDonald’s All Americans.