Michael Shannon has officially been cast to play Jerry Buss in HBO’s upcoming pilot based on the book, Showtime: Magic, Kareem, Riley, and the Los Angeles Lakers Dynasty of the 1980s. A self-made millionaire bought the Lakers, LA Kings, the Forum in 1979 for $67.5 million. He later sold his majority share in the Kings but owned the Lakers until his death in 2013, when his stake in the team was divided amongst his six children.
HBO’s untitled Showtime Lakers project was announced earlier this year with Adam McKay attached to oversee production and direct the pilot. Obviously, the series will focus on the Lakers in the 80s and specifically the “Showtime” incarnation of the team featuring Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and James Worthy. Max Borenstein and Jim Hecht are on board as writers and executive producers on the series. Jason Shuman, Kevin Messick, Scott Stephens, and Rodney Barnes are also attached as executive producers
Shannon is only the second cast member attached to the project so far. It was previously reported that Jason Clarke will portray the Lakers legend and future NBA logo himself, Jerry West. The series was previously titled Showtime but has since been changed to official be Untitled Showtime Lakers Project.
The still-untitled project has yet to receive a full series order so there’s no release date yet.
