A new Disney Plus basketball show has been ordered! The basketball drama series titled “The Crossover” is based on the book of the same name by Kwame Alexander. The upcoming series also has NBA star LeBron James boarding as executive producer. The show is currently in pre-production after it was ordered to pilot on Disney Plus in March 2021. Reportedly, production for “The Crossover” will begin in February.
The Disney Plus basketball drama series introduces teen twin brothers JB and Josh Bell, widely considered basketball phenomenon. Josh narrates the story of the brothers coming-of-age on the court and off through his lyrical poetry. The show involves the twin’s parents as well. The boy’s dad was a former professional basketball player who’s now adjusting to life after the sport. As for the boy’s mom, she finally is getting to pursue her own dreams. The Bell brothers will be played by Jaylyn Hall as Josh and Amir O’Neil as JB.
Kwame Alexander’s “The Crossover” was published in March 2014 and has been recognized for its accomplishments, winning the 2015 Newbery Medal for the Most Distinguished Contribution to American literature for Children. The basketball drama novel also won the Coretta Scott King Honor, the NCTE Charlotte Huck Award Honor, the Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award, and the Passaic Poetry Prize. The novel is just one among the many books written by the New York Times bestselling author.
Ayo Davis, the president of Disney Branded Television said,
This is not the first Disney Plus basketball show as a Disney Plus original starring John Stamos called Big Shot came out last year. Big Shot is about a coach to an all-female private school team and is a dramedy. “The Crossover” will likely be more of a drama. An article from The NY Times in 2014 describes, “The biggest surprise of “The Crossover” is that, for all the bells and whistles of a young man’s game, it is most boldly and certainly a book about tenderness.”
