Press Releases 2024

LIONSGATE TELEVISION DEVELOPING TV SERIES BASED ON SHOHEI OHTANI INTERPRETER GAMBLING SCANDAL

May. 09, 2024

Tony Winner Scott Delman and Acclaimed Journalist and Author Albert Chen Will Produce Series for Lionsgate

SANTA MONICA, CA, May 9, 2024 – Torn from today’s headlines, Lionsgate Television is developing a scripted series based on this year’s shocking gambling scandal surrounding LA Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani. 13-time Tony Award winner and television producer Scott Delman and award-winning writer, author and producer Albert Chen are attached to produce.

The series will follow the story of the most exciting player in Major League Baseball, a star pitcher and hitter in the mold of Babe Ruth. Ohtani’s meteoric rise and carefully guarded persona collided with a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers – the biggest contract in American sports team history. Just months later and only a day into the 2024 MLB season in March, news broke that Ohtani’s interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, allegedly stole almost $17 million from the baseball player to pay off gambling debts. The Dodgers fired Mizuhara following the allegations and he later turned himself in to federal authorities. The U.S Attorney's Office for the Central District of California just announced that Mizuhara has agreed to plead guilty in the gambling scandal.

“With a strong track record of creating daring, boundary-pushing series, Lionsgate Television is the perfect partner to bring this unbelievable story to the screen,” said Delman. “In addition, Albert’s extensive sports journalism background will enable us to connect the dots to make sense of the startling turn of events we’ve seen play out on the world stage.”

“This is major league baseball’s biggest sports gambling scandal since Pete Rose – and at its center is its biggest star, one that MLB has hitched its wagon on,” says Chen. “We’ll get to the heart of the story – a story of trust, betrayal and the trappings of wealth and fame.”

Delman’s past television credits include the hit TV series Station 11. He has also earned six Olivier Awards and served as a producer on several major Broadway hits, including The Book of Mormon, Death of a Salesman, All The Way, Raisin in the Sun, The Curious Incident of The Dog in the Night-Time and The Ferryman, among many others.

Chen wrote the sports gambling book Billion Dollar Fantasy. He was the co-creator, co-host and producer of the Webby Award-winning podcast All American from Stitcher and SiriusXM. Chen served as senior editor at Sports Illustrated, where he covered baseball and wrote more than a dozen cover stories for the magazine, and he has been a contributor at MLB Network.

This announcement comes as Lionsgate Television has several high-profile projects in development, including the first English-language series adaptation of Park Chan-wook’s acclaimed film Oldboy.

Executive Max Elins is overseeing the project for Lionsgate Television, and Bryan Weiser negotiated the deal.

About Lionsgate

Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF.A, LGF.B) encompasses world-class motion picture and television studio operations and the STARZ premium global subscription platform, bringing a unique and varied portfolio of entertainment to consumers around the world. The Company’s film, television, subscription and location-based entertainment businesses are backed by a more than 20,000-title library and a valuable collection of iconic film and television franchises. A digital age company driven by its entrepreneurial culture and commitment to innovation, the Lionsgate brand is synonymous with bold, original, relatable entertainment for audiences worldwide.

About Lionsgate Studios

Lionsgate Studios (NASDAQ: LION) is one of the world's leading standalone, pure play, publicly-traded content companies. It brings together diversified motion picture and television production and distribution businesses, a world-class portfolio of valuable brands and franchises, a talent management and production powerhouse and a more than 20,000-title film and television library, all driven by Lionsgate's bold and entrepreneurial culture.

For media inquiries, please contact:

Laurel Pecchia
Lionsgate
[email protected]
310-255-5114

 

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