Lebron James is backing off his Hollywood projects as he focuses on the upcoming NBA season.
The Cleveland Cavaliers star has pulled back from several entertainment projects, including the Starz comedy Survivor’s Remorse, which is set to premiere on October 4, and a movie with Kevin Hart for Universal.
“Basketball and turning Cleveland into a winner is first, second, third and fourth priority for LeBron,” his manager and business partner Maverick Carter told The Hollywood Reporter.
The Ballers movie will be put off until at least next summer. It’s slated to star James as an NBA star, while Hart plays a character living in his superstar brother’s shadow.
While James steps back on projects, including the animated web series The Lebrons, Carter is taking over more responsibility with the duo’s Spring Hill Productions.
“Developing content and entertainment projects is a priority for LeBron, Maverick and the organization,” says James’ Los Angeles-based adviser Adam Mendelsohn. “As a business and creative enterprise, Spring Hill Productions will do more projects that are not specifically about LeBron.”
And James , who has an estimated net worth of $270 million, still has Hollywood on his mind, particularly after he’s done with basketball.
“He’s a player, but he also approaches basketball from an entrepreneurial standpoint,” says Carter. “Because as much as he loves playing — and he would probably play for free — he knows it’s also a business. He’s going to pick roles that fit him; he wants to work with people he admires. But he also understands it’s a business.”
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