The next new Native TV show, Rez Ball, is coming to Netflix and now we know who will star in the series. Diné writer/director Sydney Freeland will direct the series. Reservation Dogs co-creator Sterlin Harjo is producing and writing the script with Freeland.
Rez Ball follows the Chuska Warriors, a Native American high school basketball team from Chuska, New Mexico that must band together after losing their star player if they want to keep their quest for a state championship alive. It’s an all-American underdog story about Native American kids and coaches told from the inside-out.
(L-R) Jaren K. Robledo, Hunter Redhorse Arthur, Jojo Jackson, Devin Sampson-Craig, Henry Wilson Jr., Kauchani Bratt, Kusem Goodwind, Avery Hale, Damian Castellane and River Rayne Thomas.
CR: Lewis Jacobs/Netflix
Rez Ball stars Amber Midthunder, Kiowa Gordon, Jessica Matten, Julia Jones, Dallas Goldtooth, Cody Lightning, Ernest Tsosie and Kauchani Bratt. Newcomers Devin Sampson-Craig, River Rayne Thomas, Jojo Jackson, Avery Hale, Hunter Redhorse Arthur, Henry Wilson Jr, Jaren K. Robledo, Damian Henry Castellane, Kusem Goodwind and Zoey Reyes will play the all Indigenous basketball team.
According to Deadline.com, Rez Ball is inspired by the nonfiction book “Canyon Dreams” by Michael Powell and the New York Times articles that precede the book. “I could not be more enthusiastic about REZ BALL. I am so grateful to Netflix, Wise, Springhill, Chernin and Lake Ellyn for their help bringing this story to life. This is a story that is so deep and close to me, and to be able to showcase our part of America with the world in such an authentic way is deeply gratifying, ” Freeland said. “We set out to make a film from an authentic point of view, and our incredible cast has brought Sterlin’s and my words to life in that way. Our actors, culled from over 5,000 submissions, embody the spirit and energy of what ‘Rez Ball’ is, and I can’t wait to share it with the world.”
Producers include Maurício Mota and Katie Elmore Mota for Wise Entertainment, Spencer Beighley, Jamal Henderson and LeBron James for The SpringHill Company, and Nancy Utley for Lake Ellyn Entertainment. Exec producers are Peter Chernin and Jenno Topping for Chernin Entertainment, and Maverick Carter for The SpringHill Company, as well as Freeland, Harjo and Scott Lumpkin.
Production on Rez Ball will start this summer on the Navajo Nation. There is no release date yet.
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News Editor, Senior Contributor, and Press Editor. Coordinate breaking news, trailers and press releases. I also contribute reviews, recaps and interviews. Creator of the Indigenerd Wire, a column dedicated to the Indigenous creatives in pop culture.
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