Rez Ball Trailer and Poster Revealed by Netflix

Netflix has released the official trailer and poster for Rez Ball, which was produced by LeBron James and will begin streaming on September 27, 2024. The film is rated PG-13 for thematic elements, including suicide, teen drug/alcohol use, language, and some crude references.

In the heart of Chuska, New Mexico, the Chuska Warriors, a high school basketball team rich in Native American heritage, face their greatest challenge. After the loss of their star player, the team must unite like never before to keep their dreams of a state championship alive.

This is more than just a game; it’s a journey of resilience and unity, a true underdog story deeply rooted in Native American culture. The movie is an official selection of the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival.

Sydney Freeland directed Rez Ball from a script by Freeland and Sterlin Harjo. The cast includes Jessica Matten, Kauchani Bratt, Cody Lightning, Dallas Goldtooth, Ernest David Tsosie, Kusem Goodwind, and Zoey Reyes, with Amber Midthunder and Julia Jones.

In addition to LeBron James, the producers include Katie Elmore, Maurício Mota, Spencer Beighley, Jamal Henderson, and Nancy Utley. Peter Chernin, Jenno Topping, D. Scott Lumpkin, Maverick Carter, and Jodi Archambault are the executive producers.

Springhill Company Production, Wise Entertainment Production, Chernin Entertainment, and Lake Ellyn Entertainment Production produced Rez Ball.

For Freeland, who told Netflix that she is a “huge basketball fan” who also “loves to play” and competed in high school, Rez Ball is a story that she and Harjo were committed to telling “from the inside out.” This meant drawing from their own experiences growing up and being a part of the game.

Freeland said, “You have these small arenas, but they’re just packed with people. Where we were, we don’t have professional teams. We don’t have college teams. A lot of that falls on high school; where a lot of these native teams have had the most success is the high school level. So you get this huge turnout and this rabid fan base. So for us, it was like, ‘Oh, this is West Texas high school football. This is Friday Night Lights, but it is from an Indigenous perspective.’ ”

“For us,” Freeland said, “this film is an invitation to see a side of America — a community — that [everyone] may not be familiar with. But for myself, for these kids, for the cast, for the crew, this is something that we’ve lived and breathed our whole lives.”

“We’ve done our best to try to capture that experience on-screen, on camera, and we want to share that with people,” Freeland continued. “Hopefully, people watch the film and they walk out feeling like, ‘Oh wow, I didn’t know this was something that existed.’ And hopefully, we can expand people’s horizons just a little bit more.”

Casting the film was an enormous endeavor, with 5,000 submissions for 10 parts. As Freeland said of the final roster, “It was all about, hey, these kids can play, they can act, they’ve got a vibe, they’ve got chemistry, and then we move forward. These kids, I’m beyond blown away,” she said. “They showed up, they showed out in the best possible way. Well, the proof is there on-screen.”

Watch the official trailer here and scroll down to view the poster.