Stephen Curry’s dazzling basketball career, from his emergence during Davidson’s 2008 NCAA Tournament run to becoming one of the NBA’s brightest stars, will be the subject of an upcoming documentary titled Underrated.
Curry himself will be a producer on the project through his Unanimous Media company in partnership with A24, which will produce and finance the documentary. Underrated will have another powerhouse producer behind it with Ryan Coogler (Black Panther, Creed) and his Proximity Media production studio.
Davidson advanced to the Elite 8 during the 2008 NCAA Tournament, defeating Gonzaga, Georgetown, and Wisconsin before losing to eventual national champion Kansas in the regional final. Curry averaged 32 points per game during the Wildcats’ run, making the most three-pointers (23) in the Tournament and averaging the highest number of steals (3.3).
With the Golden State Warriors, Curry and his lights-out shooting became an NBA sensation. During his 12 seasons in the league, the Warriors have won three NBA championships while Curry earned consecutive MVP awards. (He was a unanimous selection in 2015 and 2016, inspiring the name of his production company, created with Erick Peyton.) This past season, Curry led the NBA in scoring, averaging 32 points per game.
Underrated takes its name from Curry’s “Underrated Tour,” which provides training and exposure resources for three-star prospects who aren’t attracting the attention of area scouts and college coaches. Curry himself was one of those athletes, despite having former NBA player Dell Curry as his father, so presenting such opportunities is meaningful to him.
Proximity’s Pete Nicks will direct Underrated. His latest film, Homeroom, will premiere this week on Hulu. The documentary chronicles the Oakland (California) High School class of 2020’s efforts to improve test scores and boost college applications amid budget cuts, fears of police violence, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Homeroom finishes off a trilogy of documentaries, with his first two films focusing on health care (The Waiting Room) and criminal justice (The Force) in the Oakland area.
Nicks and Coogler’s ties to the Bay Area (Coogler’s film Fruitvale Station followed the real-life 2009 police shooting of Oscar Grant) may have created a natural connection with Curry and his company. But Proximity Media is also fast-rising in Hollywood, after producing Judas and the Black Messiah, which was nominated for six Academy Awards this year, including Best Picture.
A24 is perhaps best known for producing and distributing feature films including Uncut Gems and Midsommar, in addition to The Green Knight, which is currently in theaters. But the studio has also produced some outstanding documentaries such as Amy, Boys State, and Val, newly available on Amazon Prime. So that association gives Underrated some film cred and should help the documentary get into theaters and on prominent streaming outlets.
[TheWrap]
About Ian Casselberry
Ian is a writer, editor, and podcaster. You can find his work at Awful Announcing and The Comeback. He's written for Sports Illustrated, Yahoo Sports, MLive, Bleacher Report, and SB Nation.