While there had certainly been rumblings about Jonathan Majors being in discussion to portray the almost-mythical Dennis Rodman in 48 Hours In Vegas – an upcoming comedy film based on the Chicago Bulls superstar’s infamous trip to Sin City amidst the 1998 NBA finals (Chicago Bulls vs Utah Jazz) – the man himself has personally confirmed he’s attached to the much-anticipated project.
“Yeah, I’m playing Dennis Rodman… it’s fine, we’re working on the script,” Jonathan Majors recently told BH in an interview for Creed III during his recent visit to Sydney, Australia.
“Let’s get it done, guys. Thank you… cool. You actually helped me.”
Prior to this, Majors had alluded to the possibility by noting his desire to speak with The Worm himself.
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“It’s on my list… I know where he’s at and I think he’s open-hearted and wants to collaborate,” Majors hinted in conversation with Variety at the Governors Awards.
The rising star has been quite in demand ever since he led HBO’s critically-acclaimed horror-drama, Lovecraft Country, as protagonist Atticus Sampson “Tic” Freeman. Since then, Majors has appeared in Spike Lee’s Da 5 Bloods, Netflix’s ensemble western The Harder They Fall, as well as having landed the role of Michael B. Jordan’s formidable boxing adversary Anderson Dame in Creed III.
But Creed III won’t be the only franchise Jonathan Majors gets to play a villain. After making his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut as the character variant He Who Remains in Disney+’s Loki, the Yale School of Drama alum will now portray the Avengers’ next Thanos-level threat: Kang the Conqueror – which you can now witness in the critically-divisive Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantamania.
And as you’ll note with the images above and below, the six-inch disparity between the thespian and the NBA legend won’t be all too noticeable. Over the past year or so, Majors has proven himself to be quite a capable athlete in his own right by transforming into an all-too-believable heavyweight boxing champion and professional bodybuilder.
48 Hours In Vegas will be directed by Phil Lord & Chris Miller, who you may have encountered through 21 Jump Street, 22 Jump Street, Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs, as well as Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse.
The duo’s production company Lord Miller will collaborate with Lionsgate on this project, bringing producer Aditya Sood along with them. Sood will be joined by the likes of Ari Lubet, Will Allegra, as well as Dennis Rodman himself. Jordan VanDina (The Binge, Cocaine Hippos, What Would Diplo Do?) has been tapped to pen the screenplay.
“Dennis refused to follow the herd,” explained Phil Lord & Chris Miller via statement.
“That is what made him a target and it’s also what made him a star. His weekend in Las Vegas is full of fun and hijinks but it is also full of important questions about the way public figures and workers are treated, especially when their individuality is expressed so vividly.”
RELATED: Shaq Calls Dennis Rodman The “Worst Teammate” He Ever Played With
“There’s only one Dennis Rodman,” said Nathan Kahane, President of Lionsgate’s Motion Picture Group.
“In 1998, there was nobody on Earth who’d be more fun – or maybe more dangerous – to party with. And yet, that’s not even half of who he is.”
“This movie takes you on an unforgettable ride with the myth, the legend and also the man that Dennis is, behind everything you think you know.”
Here’s the official synopsis for 48 Hours In Vegas – the Dennis Rodman story:
Las Vegas, Nevada. 1998. The NBA Finals are in full swing. The Chicago Bulls are on the verge of completing their second three-peat in eight years. And Dennis Rodman – a groundbreaking cultural presence on and off the court and the team’s iconoclastic future Hall of Famer, defensive specialist, rebounding genius – has just bravely told coach Phil Jackson that he needs 48 hours in Vegas. Naturally, it is a request that Jackson honours. Inspired by two whirlwind mythic days in Sin City, Lionsgate’s 48 Hours in Vegas will take audiences on Rodman’s madcap adventure with his skittish assistant GM, and will detail a budding friendship that neither one of them ever thought was possible, but will end up solving both of their problems.
