According to Empire, Will Smith is set to produce a biopic of legendary basketball star Michael Jordan, although it won’t focus on his time in the NBA, but rather his stint in minor league baseball in the mid-90s.
The film, entitled The Prospect, and will cover his basketball retirement following the death of his father in 1993. Aiming to fulfil a promise to his father, Jordan made the surprising announcement that he was switching sports, signing for the Chicago White Sox’s minor league affiliate the Birmingham Barons, and later the Scottsdale Scorpions. Despite aquitting himself will, Jordan would return ot the NBA in 1995 with the two word press release: “I’m back”.
The Prospect has been penned by Ben Epstein (Happyland), with his script sitting on the Black List of Hollywood’s best unproduced screenplays. Smith’s Overlook Entertainment will produce the film, but as yet there’s no word on when it might be aiming to go into production.
Originally published December 21, 2017. Updated April 16, 2018.
