Omari Hardwick, Kelly Rowland and Rome Flynn will star opposite Marsai Martin in the new movie “Fantasy Football.”
“Fantasy Football” follows 16-year-old Callie A. Coleman (Martin; “Little”) who discovers she can control her professional football player dad, Bobby Coleman’s (Hardwick; “Army of the Dead,” “Power”) prowess on the field through the EA Sports Madden NFL game. Grammy winner Rowland (“American Soul”) plays Keisha Coleman, Callie’s mom, while Emmy winner Flynn (“How to Get Away With Murder,” “The Bold and the Beautiful”) is Anderson Fisher, Bobby’s rookie arch rival.
NFL Films and EA Sports have also boarded the project, signing on to provide expertise on various aspects related to the production. The Nickelodeon and Awesomeness Films project begins shooting this month in Atlanta, Ga., with the live-action movie planned to premiere on Paramount+ later this year.
Directed by NAACP Image Award winner and Emmy nominee Anton Cropper (“Black-ish”) and written by Emmy winners Dan Gurewitch and David Young, the film is based on an original screenplay by Richard T. Jones, Jeremy Loethen and Tim Ogletree. Rounding out the cast are Elijah Richardson (as Nate), Hanani Taylor (Kayla), Abigail Killmeier (Margot), Tyla Harris (Zoey) and Isac Ivan (Oliver). NFL Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez will also appear in the movie. After retiring from football, Gonzalez first became an analyst before pursuing acting. Repped by SMAC Entertainment, he most recently starred in “Long Slow Exhale.”
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“I am so excited to be working with such a talented and supportive group. ’Fantasy Football’ is a culmination of the adrenaline of the NFL and the fun of EA Sports Madden NFL, with the heart of a father-daughter relationship,” stated Cropper. “As the father of a teenage daughter, I can’t wait to sit down and watch this with her. It’s everything a great film is supposed to be.”
News of the production’s impending start comes on the eve of the series finale of “Black-ish,” in which Martin has starred since 2014, winning nine NAACP Image Awards. In addition to starring in “Fantasy Football,” Martin also produces the film, alongside Joshua Martin, under their Genius Entertainment banner and in partnership with LeBron James and Maverick Carter’s SpringHill Company.
James, Spencer Beighley and Jamal Henderson serve as producers for The SpringHill Company and Carol Martin and Jamila Jordan-Theus serve as executive producers for Genius Entertainment. Production of the film at Awesomeness is overseen by Syrinthia Studer, EVP at Nickelodeon and Awesomeness Films, and Jessica Smith, director of development. Timothy Bourne also serves as producer.
