Champions: comedy starring Woody Harrelson as a former basketball coach who, after a series of missteps, is ordered by the court to coach a team of disabled players.
Plot and background
Stubborn and hot-headed basketball coach Marcus (Woody Harrelson) is going through a rough patch not only in his professional career, but also in his personal life. After some unruly incidents on and off the court, the coach is given a choice by the judge to either go to jail or do community service as a coach of a Special Olympics team. At first, Coach resignedly accepts his sentence, but soon realizes, despite initial doubts, that this team can accomplish more together than he ever imagined. Coaching the Friends basketball team not only gives him a new perspective professionally, but Coach Marcus also gets a second chance in love when he meets Alex (Kaitlin Olson), the sister of player Johnny (Kevin Iannucci).
The German trailer promises a heartwarming humorous story:
“Champions” – background, cast, theatrical release
Hollywood director Bobby Farrelly brings “Champions,” a U.S. remake of the acclaimed 2018 Spanish film “Campeones” (German title: “Wir sind Champions”), to the big screen. Farrelly is not the first to adapt the Spanish box office hit and Goya Award winner. In 2022, the German interpretation of the feature film appeared on RTL+ under the title “Weil wir Champions sind” starring Wotan Wilke Möhring.
In the new screen adaptation, Hollywood star Woody Harrelson shines in the leading role of the discouraged basketball coach Coach Marcus, who recognizes his true calling through a social penalty. “Champions” is the third film about basketball in which the actor has participated, following “White Men Can’t Jump” and “Semi-Pro.”
For many of the 10 actors* who embody the Friends basketball team, it was their first time in front of the camera. Because this is a story about a community that is very underrepresented, there was never any question for director Bobby Farrelly about casting people with similar disabilities as the characters they would portray. Taking on the roles of Friends are Madison Tevlin, Joshua Felder, Kevin Iannucci, Ashton Gunning, Matthew Von Der Ahe, Tom Sinclair, James Day Keith, Alex Hintz, Casey Metcalfe and Bradley Edens. In other roles, Kaitlin Olson (“It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”), Cheech Marin and Ernie Hudson (“Ghostbusters”) were in front of the camera.
The German theatrical release date for the heartwarming comedy is April 27, 2023.
