Yao Ming Documentary (Movie)

Lights, camera, Yao: Big man headed for big screen

By Daniel Kaplan and John Lombardo
Houston Business Journal

Nov. 11 — In a joint venture with the National Basketball Association, the producer of hit Broadway shows "Hairspray" and "The Producers" is shooting a feature-length documentary on Chinese basketball sensation and Houston Rocket Yao Ming.
James Stern, who also produced IMAX film "Michael Jordan to the Max," says the film will be aimed at mass audiences.
"This is an incredibly compelling story from the sports angle, but also the cultural angle," Stern says.
Stern and his company, Endgame Entertainment, have committed $5 million to the project intended to document Yao's journey from China on draft day through his rookie season with the Houston Rockets, which began last week.
The NBA's entertainment division is a partner in the project. It's the latest evidence of the NBA's effort to expand into the vast and potentially lucrative Asian market, fueled by the hype surrounding the 7-foot-6-inch center who was the first pick in this year's NBA draft.
Since the draft in June, the league opened an office in China, launched a Mandarin-language Web site and struck several TV deals on the mainland.
NBA Commissioner David Stern told the cable program "Best Damn Sports Show Period" last week that when Yao's games are televised in China, the television audience there is larger than the 287 million population of the United States.
Shooting began at the NBA draft. Endgame filmed Yao at the World Basketball Championships in Indianapolis this summer, and Adam Del Deo, another producer working on the project, recently returned from shooting in China.
James Stern, who is not related to the commissioner, says distribution plans could encompass a range of options, from cable to network to theater, but nothing has been set in stone. He added that the film should have strong overseas and domestic appeal.
The movie is expected to cost up to $5 million, compared to a $5 million to $10 million range for "Michael Jordan to the Max," Stern says. The difference is due to the cost of the IMAX format. The Jordan film, which opened in May 2000, grossed more than $18 million.
Stern says he has no revenue projections for the current project. Endgame and the NBA would likely split any profits in half, though Stern says there is nothing contractual yet.
Tall order
The movie may be expanded to include two other foreign first-round choices, Brazilian Nino Hilario and Nikoloz Tskitishvili from the Republic of Georgia, both of the Denver Nuggets. American Jay Williams of the Chicago Bulls, who was the No. 2 overall pick, may also be included in the film.
If all four players are included, the film would focus on four players hailing from four different continents.
James Stern, who is also a part-owner of the Chicago Bulls, says the idea in making this movie is to capture "what is happening to world of basketball, and what that means from a business perspective."
Originally, the plan was to include all four players in the film, but the Yao story, given his negotiations with the Chinese communist government to free himself to play in the NBA and the sharp cultural differences between China and the United States, made him the focus.
The other three have not been dropped, Stern says, but right now the project will focus on Yao, who already has been featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated and the front page of USA Today.
The movie will help bring more attention to a Houston Rockets franchise that hasn't made the playoffs since 1999, team President George Postolos says. The Rockets do not have a financial stake in the movie.
"We think it's a great idea and we are supportive of the joint venture," Postolos says. "We think it will reflect positively on Yao Ming and bring positive attention to the team, so we are encouraging him to do this."
Next year, the club moves into its new downtown arena, and the Rockets are counting on Yao to raise their profile to help attract sponsors and sell premium-seating packages in a market that has seen two new sports facilities — Minute Maid Park and Reliant Stadium — open in the past two years.


Just wondering how many people on this BBS would go and watch this movie at a IMAX theater. And then buy the DVD or video later.