Bo Burnham is an inspiration to YouTubers everywhere: if you’re good enough at making silly comedy videos, someday, maybe, you’ll get to play Larry Bird.
The comedian and actor, who appears in the Best Picture-nominated Promising Young Woman, will reportedly play the Boston Celtics legend in HBO’s upcoming series about the Showtime Lakers. (Has Larry Bird seen Eighth Grade? He — and everyone — should really watch Eighth Grade.) The three-time MVP won three championships with the Celtics, including one against the Lakers. That rivalry forms the premise of the show.
Based on the book Showtime: Magic, Kareem, Riley, and the Los Angeles Lakers Dynasty of the 1980s, the show “chronicles the professional and personal lives of the 1980s Lakers, one of sports’ most revered and dominant dynasties — a team that defined its era both on and off the court,” according to Deadline. Burnham joins a stacked roster, including Quincy Isaiah as Magic Johnson, Adrien Brody as Pat Riley, Michael Chiklis as Red Auerbach, John C. Reilly as Jerry Buss,Sally Field as Jessie Buss, Jason Clarke as Jerry West, Solomon Hughes as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Gaby Hoffmann as Claire Rothman.
It’s excellent casting, although I can’t help but wonder if HBO reached out to Nick Kroll to play “Larry Legend” first. Maybe his impression was too good.
(Via Deadline)
