Cleveland Cavaliers All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving hinted at an "Uncle Drew" movie in the past, and it has now been confirmed. Pepsi will be fully funding development for the film starring the Cavs star as he plays the role of the titular character who he made famous through a series of commercials for the beverage company.
According to Variety, Temple Entertainment has acquired the rights to Irving's "Uncle Drew" Pepsi commercials. Jay Longino will write the script for the film while Marty Bowen, Wyck Godfrey, and John Fischer will be set to produce the film. The movie has been described by Temple Entertainment as a sort of love letter to the game of basketball.
The "Uncle Drew" character was made famous by Irving in a series of advertisements for Pepsi Max. In the commercials, Uncle Drew is a 70-year old man who would show up at pick-up basketball games and then proceed to dance circles around players who are half his age, while he reminisces about how he used to play the game during his youth. According to Sports Illustrated, other NBA faces could appear in the movie as well.
The commercials quickly became popular and have gotten millions of views on YouTube. Fischer was a pretty big fan of the short commercials and showed them to Bowen who thought they could turn it into a feature length film. However, Longino's pitch for pursuing the rights to make the film was what got both of them really excited about the project.
The film has been described as "Blues Brothers" in a pick-up basketball setting. Longino's pitch shows Uncle Drew and his squad in Harlem's legendary Rucker Park basketball court. Drew is then talked into returning to the courts to compete several years later, and he goes on a road trip to gather up his old squad so they can play. Longino is a former professional basketball player who had stints playing in Mexico and the now-defunct USBL.
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