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New movie tells story of LeBron James' rise
You know the name LeBron James, but you may not know about the journey that led him to become one of the biggest stars in basketball. The new film 'Shooting Stars' tells James' story, and Paul Milliken caught up with director Chris Robinson to learn more about bringing the story to the screen.
You already know his namehow but much do you know about the journey that led LeBron James to become one of the greatest basketball players in history?
The story of James and his childhood friends — and how they went on to lead their high school team to basketball glory — is told in the new film "Shooting Stars," which begins streaming today on Peacock. The film was directed by Chris Robinson, known for helming the movie "ATL" and some of the most popular music videos of all time.
"I think I was really attracted to this film when I read the script because it feels like a story everyone kind of goes through," says Robinson. "Friendships, the village that raises you, the coaches that take their time, the parents that take their time and drive you to practice…all those points build a foundation that, I think, you can use as a launchpad to get whenever you want to get."
Robinson says the technical experience of working on music videos — including many featuring top Atlanta talent — helped in preparing to shoot the film’s tightly-choreographed basketball sequences.
"The way that I shot the games was: first thought, be authentic. Second thought, how to make it different and better than any basketball film ever done. And how to pay homage to LeBron’s basketball IQ and his talent," says Robinson.
"Shooting Stars" features newcomer Marquis "Mookie" Cook as LeBron James, alongside established talent including Wood Harris and Dermot Mulroney. To hear more from the director, click the video player in this article.