Cristiano Ronaldo will star in the animated series Striker Force 7. GETTY IMAGES
Facebook Watch gave a "series commitment with penalty to a scripted drama" from Cristiano Ronaldo, Memphis Beat creators Liz Garcia and Josh Harto and Paul Lee’s recently launched independent studio, wiip, according to Denise Petski of DEADLINE. Written by Garcia and Harto, the as-yet untitled project follows a high school girls football team in upstate N.Y. "as the team’s melting pot line-up and winning streak invites the community to overcome deep divisions along racial, ethnic and class lines by rallying around the universal language of the beautiful game." Garcia and Harto will exec produce with Ronaldo. Lee said, "This is a high-end series with global appeal, set against the backdrop of the world’s most popular sport, and created in partnership with the world’s best footballer, Cristiano Ronaldo, and remarkable storytellers Liz and Josh. And we are thrilled to partner again with Facebook Watch" (DEADLINE, 5/9). In London, Lanre Bakare reported Ronaldo will also star in the animated superhero cartoon Striker Force 7, "which is expected to be a comic, a video game and have some form of digital content." Striker Force 7 has been compared to "Space Jam," the '96 animated comedy that starred Michael Jordan, Bill Murray and the cast of Looney Tunes. Ronaldo said, "In the same way football connects cultures and people around the world, I believe great animated characters and heroes can do the same. That’s why I am excited to bring together these passions of football and superheroes through this project and share it with my fans." Ronaldo "follows other sports stars" who have moved into TV and film production, including LeBron James (GUARDIAN, 5/10).
