Oscar winner Troy Kotsur to headline series based on true story of deaf high school football team
Jul 29, 2022
Washington [US], July 29 : 'CODA' fame Troy Kotsur will be seen in a lead role in Disney+ series, which is based on the football team from the California School for the Deaf Riverside (CSDR).
As per Variety, ABC Signature has partnered with CSDR, their football program, and the California Department of Education to develop the untitled series for Disney+.
The show will tell the true story of the CSDR Cubs' 2021 football season when the team went undefeated and got all the way to the California State Championship.
The series will portray the students, teachers, and their families. The writing and production team, both in front of and behind the cameras, will include artists from the Deaf community.
Ron Shelton has come on board to write and direct the pilot as well as executive produce, with Ben Shelton also set to write and executive produce.
Kotsur is best known for his role in the 2021 coming-of-age film "CODA." For his work in the film, he won the Academy Award for best supporting actor, making him only the second deaf actor to win an Academy Award.
'CODA' is a 2021 coming-of-age comedy-drama film, that was written and directed by Sian Heder. The movie is an English-language remake of the 2014 French film La Famille Belier, and it stars Emilia Jones as the eponymous CODA (child of deaf adults), the only hearing member of a deaf family, who struggles to balance her attempts to help her family's struggling fishing business and her own life aspirations.
In an interview with Variety following his Oscar win, Kotsur said that he was excited to explore more opportunities in front of the camera now that he is more well-known.
"Well, there are several action-adventure-type scripts, several historical figures," he said. "We've had such a rich history in the Deaf community. We've had tragedy, we've had success, but no one knows about these stories. They've been ignored for so long. I want to bring forth this treasure trove of storytelling."
