Amy Poehler to play an NBA head coach in upcoming sports comedy

Amy Poehler continues her reign of humor. The comedian has signed on to star and produce an upcoming sports comedy from red-hot Universal Studios that will see her playing a female NBA head coach.

Not much is known about the plot so far, but Poehler’s character will reportedly be a former basketball coach who is recruited to take over an NBA team, according to Deadline. Apparently, the pro organization doesn’t exactly welcome her with open arms, and on top of that, she finds that there’s a mountain of pressure that comes with being the first female head coach in the league. It sounds like the film will unite comedy with positive messages.

After the box office success of Trainwreck, this could be a perfect opportunity for LeBron James to get in front of the camera again. In fact, when it comes to casting, the filmmakers would probably do well to pull heavily from the NBA. Not only would it appeal to fans and legitimize the flick, but pro basketball-sized humans (that are actually in basketball form) are probably in short supply outside of the league.

The project will be executive produced by Paper Kite Productions’ Brooke Posch, along with the team who penned the script, Ike Barinholtz and David Stassen. The writing duo is behind Central Intelligence, an upcoming film that will star Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart, and they’ve also written for The Mindy Project. Barinholtz will have a role in the film as well, and he and Poehler are also set to share the screen in Sisters, which co-stars Tina Fey.

Before leading an NBA team, Poehler will team up with Will Ferrell for The House. The film, which shoots this fall, will feature the duo as a couple that opens a casino in their basement to earn back money they lost from their daughter’s college fund.

from Planet GS via John Jason Fallows on Inoreader http://ift.tt/1VwLkFp
Stephanie Topacio Long