'National Champions': First Look and Trailer Released for Movie Produced by Russell Wilson
A new football movie produced by Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson be released very soon. STX Films revealed the trailer and first look at the film National Champions, which will drop nationally on December 10. Wilson is an executive producer and makes an appearance in the film. National Champions has an all-star cast, including, Stephan James, J. K. Simmons, Alexander Ludwig, Lil Rel Howery, Tim Blake Nelson, Wilson, Andrew Bachelor, Jeffrey Donovan, David Koechner with Kristin Chenoweth with Timothy Olyphant, and Uzo Aduba.
"Three days before the college football national championship game, star quarterback LeMarcus James (Stephan James) and teammate Emmett Sunday (Alexander Ludwig) ignite a player's strike declaring they won't compete until all student-athletes are fairly compensated," the official synopsis states. "With billions of dollars at risk and legacies on the line, the stakes could not be higher. Now, with only hours until kickoff, the head coach (J.K. Simmons) and various power brokers (Lil Rel Howery, Tim Blake Nelson, Andrew Bachelor, Jeffrey Donovan, David Koechner, Kristin Chenoweth, Timothy Olyphant, Uzo Aduba) must race against the clock to protect or destroy the prevailing collegiate athletics system."
Wilson recently spoke about National Champions on an upcoming episode of the AP Pro Football Podcast and is ready for fans to see it. "I'm super excited about 'National Champions' and how it explores the idea of the business of college sports and that it generates billions of dollars for these universities and brands and these television networks, and it's all predicated on the underlying thought of these kids aren't getting paid for it," Wilson said, per the Associated Press.
National Champions is directed by Roc Woman Waugh and talked to the Associated Press and talked about the impact Wilson made on the film. "Russ was not only candid about his journey but shared many of his peers' experiences who weren't as fortunate to make the NFL, especially at his level," Waugh said. "His presence as our executive producer, and on-screen, gave confidence to so many others to speak up and help us shape the argument on both sides of this debate."
Along with Wilson, there will be cameo appearances from NFL star Malcolm Jenkins and NBA star Karl-Anthony Towns. There will also be cameos from sports personalities such as Mike Greenberg, Steve Levy, Taylor Rooks, Michael Holley, Nick Wright and Jemele Hill.