John C. Reilly could walk into the offices of the Los Angeles Lakers and start running the show, as he looks unrecognizable as the late owner Jerry Buss in the latest photos leaked online. Reilly is playing Buss in a new HBO TV series, Showtime, and it takes a look at the Lakers teams in the 1980s. According to Deadline, Reilly replaced Michael Shannon who left the series due to creative differences.
“Written by Max Borenstein, the project is based on Jeff Pearlman’s nonfiction book Showtime: Magic, Kareem, Riley, and the Los Angeles Lakers Dynasty of the 1980s. It follows the professional and personal lives of the 1980s Lakers, one of sports’ most revered and dominant dynasties — a team that won five NBA titles and defined its era, both on and off the court,” Nellie Andreeva of Deadline wrote.
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Reilly has been in the industry for over 30 years. Some of his most notable films are Talledega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, Step Brothers, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story and Guardians of the Galaxy. Recently, Reilly starred in the film Holmes & Watson where he played John Watson, the sidekick to detective Sherlock Holmes. He stared in the film along with Will Ferrell and it was not approved by the critics.
John C. Reilly looks unrecognizable as Los Angeles Lakers owner Jerry Buss as filming continues on HBO’s Showtime https://t.co/R3iGHMGS1Y
— Daily Mail Celebrity (@DailyMailCeleb) October 8, 2019
“This is an old-fashioned mess with flashes of potential: Rebecca Hall’s ‘lady doctor,’ as hubristic a medic as any of her male colleagues, is clever. And in a film that is mostly an embarrassment, its supporting cast is mostly an embarrassment of riches,” said Sarah Cartland of Caution Spoilers.
Fans did not like the film either. One person on Twitter called Holmes & Watson one of the worst films he’s ever seen.
“Here’s a tip to save you a few bucks. #HolmesAndWatson don’t see it. It was so bad. Half the theater walked out during it. And I love Will Ferrell but this one was one of the worst movies I’ve ever seen,” one Twitter user wrote.
Reilly is hoping Showtime fares better and his portrayal of Buss will be on point. Buss is remembered as one of the most successful owners in NBA history. During his time with the Lakers, the team won 10 NBA titles and five of those championships were from 1980-1988. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010.
