Is the Disney+ series 'The Crossover' based on a true story?
David Perry
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Disney is known for making iconic series for children and young adults. From 'Hannah Montana' and 'Wizards of Waverly Place' to the recent 'Willow', Disney has managed to captivate its audience. And now Disney + is getting ready to release yet another amazing sports drama, 'The Crossover', based on the book of the same name.
Disney's 'The Crossover' has an ensemble cast including, Daveed Diggs as the narrator for the show, Derek Luke as Chuck Bell, Jalyn Hall as Filthy (aka Josh), Deja Monique Cruz as Maya, Amir O'Neil as Jordan Bell, Sabrina Revelle as Crystal Bell, Skyla I'Lece as Alexis, and Trevor Raine Bush as Vondie. The series will also feature Darone Okolie as Future JB, Himie Freeman as Future Filthy, Brandon Sutton as Gio, Yvonne Senat Jones as Janice Rojas-Pierre, Kasia Trepagnier as Hughes Cheerleader, Elijah Jacob as Zuma, Diamond Lampton as Hughes Cheerleader and Will Koberg as Coach Ace Howard.
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What is 'The Crossover' Based On'?
'The Crossover' is based on the 2014 children's book of the same name by the Newbery Medal-winning author, Kwame Alexander. The book became widely popular among readers with many praising its unique narration technique as the entire book is written in a verse. The story follows a 12-year-old Josh Bell and his twin brother Jordan. The brothers are amazing at the basketball court. Josh, on the other hand, has an additional talent for amazing beats.
'The Crossover' tells the most wonderful story of family and brotherhood, all the while tackling several subjects related to growing up. Josh and Jordan are struggling with the aforementioned 'growing-up' part and they try to come to terms with the concept. The novel also sees the twin realise the ill-effect of breaking the rules, both on and off the court, which leads to the stunning conclusion that changes the trajectory of the entire family.
Inspirations behind 'The Crossover'
The story is based on author Alexander's relationship with his father, who has a big role in the author's life. Alexander's father taught him how to play basketball and tennis. Since Alexander wanted to tell a story of a father and son in an interesting way for boys to read, he chose basketball as the sport of the book. Another sweet reason for basketball to be the sport of the book is Alexander's father, who played basketball in his college. Though the novel is not a story about his father, it for sure was inspired by him.
Moreover, as far as the characters of the novel go, Alexander created the twin brothers concept because he grew up with two younger sisters and a younger brother and wanted to explore a world where he had a brother of the same age. The inspiration also seems to be drawn from his nephews, who are twins and play basketball as well. Kwame Alexander decided to choose poetry as his writing style because poetry mirrors a basketball game. From constant dribbling to a sudden stop, the game has a rhythmic motion to it.
What is the Disney + series 'The Crossover' about?
The official logline of the upcoming sports drama reads, "Based on the critically-acclaimed best-selling novel in-verse by Kwame Alexander, 'The Crossover' introduces teen brothers Josh and Jordan Bell, widely considered basketball phenoms. Through his lyrical poetry, an adult version of Josh, aka Filthy McNasty, narrates the story of he and his brother’s coming of age, on and off the court, as their former professional basketball player father adjusts to life after basketball, and their mother finally pursues lifelong dreams of her own."
'The Crossover' is set to premiere exclusively on Disney + on April 5, 2023.
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