I'm not a basketball fan, so all I know about NBA star Kyrie Irving is that he hates Thanksgiving. I'm about to learn more about him, though, as he is getting into the film world and is about to do some work in the horror genre. Having already starred in last year's comedy UNCLE DREW, Irving has now closed a deal to star in and executive produce an untitled horror movie based on stories about a real hotel in Oklahoma City that many believe to be haunted.
Produced by Imagine Entertainment chairman Brian Grazer and Bobby Cohen, the film is inspired by an upcoming Players' Tribune article that will give
an oral history of experiences from NBA stars who have stayed at the Skirvin Hotel, which has a reputation of being haunted. The hotel is frequented by traveling NBA teams, but some players refuse to stay there because of its reputation. The hotel was opened in 1911 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The hauntings are believed to have started in the 1930s when the hotel's owner had an affair with a chambermaid which led to her tragic demise.
The aim with this project is to craft a horror film that will blend "scares, satire, wit, and social commentary."
Irving explains why he decided to sign on for the film:
Having had my own interesting experiences at the Skirvin Hotel, I connected with this idea immediately. To work with Brian Grazer is a dream come true, and I'm excited to bring this project to life with the Imagine Entertainment team."
Cohen says,
I'd heard rumors about the Skirvin before, but once we realized that by coupling the deliciously eerie with the fascinatingly relevant, we were on to something big with this one. Kyrie is an ideal collaborator and this is a great movie to make with Imagine."
The Players Tribune and Sanjay Sharma will be executive producing alongside Irving.
Apparently Irving used to play for the Cleveland Cavaliers and now plays for the Boston Celtics. I haven't seen any of his games, but I will be watching this movie.
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