Drake, LeBron James and Maverick Carter are set to executive produce Black Ice, a feature documentary about the game of hockey’s racial reckoning.
The film from Uninterrupted Canada and The SpringHill Company, which was founded by James and business partner Carter, is about Black hockey players facing systemic racism in the sport and will be directed by Oscar nominee Hubert Davis. Black Ice will spotlight the historical marginalization of Black hockey players from the early pioneers of the Colored Hockey League in Maritimes Canada to today’s National Hockey League and its paltry number of Black players.
The SpringHill Company, with film credits like Space Jam: A New Legacy, More Than a Game and The Carter Effect, will executive produce along with Drake and Adel “Future” Nur via the duo’s co-venture DreamCrew Entertainment. Uninterrupted Canada chief content officer Vinay Virmani will produce Black Ice as it pushes hockey into the cultural conversation for racial justice and diversity.
“Despite the hardships and struggles, this story is about resilience and how society views itself today while offering a path forward to a more equitable and inclusive future,” Virmani said in a statement. Director Hubert Davis is best known for his 2005 documentary Hardwood and other projects like Giants of Africa.
“I think it is more important than ever before for all generations, particularly young people of colour, to understand and see the diverse faces who have contributed and shaped one the essential fabrics of our country,” Davis said of hockey, Canada’s national pastime. Black Ice has started production with pro hockey players Zayde Wisdom and Wayne Simmonds taking part.
Canadian broadcaster Bell Media will release Black Ice on its TSN, Crave and CTV platforms, while Elevation Pictures will do a theatrical release north of the border. A U.S. distribution deal is understood to be in the works.
Uninterrupted Canada is an athlete empowerment brand led by CEO Scott Moore and Virmani, in partnership with Drake and is aligned with Uninterrupted, the U.S.-based platform. Founded in 2007, SpringHill has also produced scripted series including Starz’s Survivor’s Remorse and Netflix’s Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker and Top Boy and unscripted and documentary projects including NBC’s game show The Wall, I Promise, More Than a Game, Student Athlete, Shut Up and Dribble, What’s My Name: Muhammad Ali and Becoming on Disney+.
This article was originally published by The Hollywood Reporter.
