Posted in: Games, Retro Games, Video Games | Tagged: documentary, nba jam, retro games

An NBA Jam Documentary Is Currently In The Works

Published Mon, 18 Jan 2021 20:55:59 -0600

Last updated Mon, 18 Jan 2021 20:56:09 -0600

For those of you who love the game NBA Jam, you'll be happy to know there's a new documentary about the game in the works. As you might recall, the game already got a bit of a documentary in late 2020 as we got that awesome Midway documentary, which we reviewed here. The film devoted an entire chapter to the development and impact of the game on society and the company as a whole, showing it had as much to do with Midway becoming a gaming juggernaut in the '90s as the arcade game for T2 and Mortal Kombat did. So you might be wondering to yourself what more could be said about the game at this point after that doc, right? Apparently, enough for an entirely new film.

Of course, someone wants to do another documentary just about NBA Jam. Courtesy of Midway Games.

According to Variety, BestCrosses Studios has optioned Reyan Ali's book of the same name to produce a doc about the arcade megahit, with Sean Menard to develop and direct it. Here's a quick snippet from the article.

"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.

It'll be interesting to see what new ground they cover about the game. A good addition would be the story about how Shaquille O'Neal used to have copies of the game follow him to hotel rooms because he was so addicted to playing it. Or how some NBA teams had it on their team planes when they traveled. That would be fun to hear about! What do you think about them making an NBA Jam documentary?

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