Variety is reporting that Reyan Ali’s NBA Jam, a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of one of the greatest sports games of all time, will soon be adapted into a feature-length documentary.
BestCrosses Studios will produce the film alongside veteran documentarian Sean Menard, who previously directed 2016’s Fight Mom and 2017’s The Carter Effect.
As part of the announcement, Menard shared a few words about what NBA Jam meant to him as a basketball fan back in the early 90s:
“When ‘NBA Jam’ hit the arcade, I was barely tall enough to reach the joystick and view the screen at the same time,” says Menard. “But while literally standing on my toes, I was completely immersed in a game that allowed me the creative freedom to perform out-of-this world feats of athleticism. This was during a tipping point for the NBA as the league was bursting with excitement and culture that was appealing to a younger fan base.
“Our film is more than just an original story about the most successful sports game of all time. There are various sub-plots that detail how gaming was transitioning from arcades to home entertainment and how it would eventually lead to the demise of Midway,” adds Menard.
Reyan Ali’s NBA Jam was originally published by Boss Fight Books in 2019 and features interviews with many of the game’s developers (including Mark Turmell and Sal DiVita), announcer Tim Kitzrow, and NBA greats such as Shaquille O’Neal. In a perfect world, all of these larger-than-life personalities should get a call to appear in the documentary.
It’s unknown when (or where) we’ll be able to see the film, but I know my anticipation for its debut is certainly heating up.