Apple Original Films’ upcoming dramedy from filmmaker Stephen Chbosky is getting even more interesting! The ensemble cast is growing, with Wood Harris, Mark Linn-Baker (Ghosts), Yakov Smirnoff (Night Court), and Didi Conn (Best Medicine) joining the team. They’ll be alongside the already announced stars Mark Wahlberg, Vera Farmiga, and Indie DesRoches.
Developed and produced by Apple Studios, this film is inspired by the 2023 German-language sports dramedy Weekend Rebels. That film told the true story of Mirco and Jason von Juterzcenka, following a father and his autistic son as they traveled across Germany. Their goal? To visit every football stadium so the son could pick his favorite team.
Now, this new version is switching things up from soccer to basketball, with the father and son setting their sights on the NBA. This change comes thanks to The SpringHill Company, founded by LeBron James and Maverick Carter, who are producing alongside Plan B.
Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner are producing for Plan B, with Spencer Beighley, LeBron James, and Jamal Henderson on board for SpringHill. Maverick Carter and Michelle Wilens are executive producers, along with Quirin Berg and Max Wiedemann of Wiedemann & Berg Film, who also produced the original Weekend Rebels.
Wood Harris, known for his powerful performances in The Wire, Remember the Titans, and Ant-Man, recently appeared in Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another and Netflix’s Forever. Mark Linn-Baker has been seen in Succession, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, and Ghosts. Yakov Smirnoff, the Soviet-American comedian and actor, is celebrated for his work on King of the Hill and Dice. And Didi Conn, forever in our hearts as Frenchy from Grease, recently appeared in Overcompensating and Harlan Coben’s Shelter, and is set to appear in Fox’s Best Medicine.
Indie DesRoches, a talented young autistic actor who made waves in Obi-Wan Kenobi and Taylor Sheridan’s upcoming The Madison, will play a key role alongside Wahlberg and Farmiga. His casting brings an authentic and personal dimension to this heartwarming father-son story.
This untitled project is another step in Apple’s commitment to emotionally resonant, character-driven stories. It also marks another exciting collaboration between Plan B, SpringHill, and Chbosky, who are known for crafting narratives that are warm, funny, and deeply human.
