LeBron James set to produce, star in comedy movie sold to Paramount

When LeBron James decided to take his talents to Los Angeles, it was widely believed the driving motive behind his decision to sign with the Lakers wasn’t basketball.

At 33 years old, James will likely retire in a Lakers uniform, and once his illustrious basketball career is over, he plans on starring in and producing movies with SpringHill Entertainment, the production company he co-founded with his longtime friend Maverick Carter in 2015.

While James has already appeared in roles in both television and film, all of his roles to date have been James playing himself, with his most notable credit being “Trainwreck,” a comedy directed by Judd Appatow (“The 40-Year-Old Virgin,” “Knocked Up”) and written by prominent standup comic Amy Schumer, who also starred in the film.

According to a recent report, James could find himself in the comedy scene again soon. On Wednesday, Variety reported that SpringHill Entertainment has sold an untitled comedy script to Paramout Players with James is in talks to star in it.

The film will be written by Steve Mallory, who in the past has worked on comedy movies including “The Boss,” “Tammy,” and “Identity Thief.”

SpringHill and Mallory have been developing the film for several months. Mallory would pen the script.

James would produce with his SpringHill partner Maverick Carter. Jamal Henderson and Spencer Beighley will oversee the project for SpringHill. Ali Bell and Gabby Canton are handling the project for Paramount Players.

If James lands the role, it will be his second acting credit in which James isn’t playing himself. James will voice a yeti named Gwangi in an animated feature film by Warner Bros. Entertainment pictures titled “Smallfoot,” set to release on September 28.

Springhill Entertainment signed a deal with Warner Bros. in 2015 to produce content in film and television, paving the way for James to (hopefully) star in the highly anticipated sequel to the 1996 cult classic “Space Jam.”

Does that mean James came to Los Angeles solely to launch his career in entertainment? Perhaps not, but it’s almost impossible to deny that played a huge role in his decision to sign with the Lakers. And hopefully, James will have enjoy as much success with the Lakers as he’s had with his business ventures off the court in Los Angeles so far.

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