Almost two years after Jonathan Majors was dropped from Lionsgate’s 48 Hours in Vegas, LaKeith Stanfield has replaced him in the film to star as Dennis Rodman.
The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed Stanfield will portray the Chicago Bulls forward in Rick Famuyiwa‘s forthcoming feature centered around Rodman’s trip to Las Vegas during the 1998 NBA Finals.
Majors was initially attached to the role in 2022, though he was let go from the project after he was convicted of assault and harassment following an incident involving his ex-partner Grace Jabbari. He was later sentenced to a 52-week in-person domestic violence intervention program.
Amid the controversy, the Creed III actor was also dropped by Disney and Marvel Studios, where he played Kang the Conqueror, who was originally slated to be the MCU’s next leading villain.
“Dennis Rodman is more than a basketball player, more than a personality — he’s an entire cultural phenomenon,” said president of Lionsgate Motion Picture Group Erin Westerman. “His bold style and physical presence, combined with an iconic persona, created a larger-than-life impact on and off the court. There’ll never be another like him. LaKeith and the incredibly talented team on this film will bring the legend to life in this most extraordinarily unbelievable story.”
Stanfield starred in all four seasons of the Emmy Award-winning series Atlanta; Jordan Peele’s Get Out; Haunted Mansion; The Book of Clarence; and Judas and the Black Messiah, which earned him an Oscar nomination.
48 Hours in Vegas will be produced by Lord Miller’s Phil Lord, Chris Miller and Aditya Sood. Famuyiwa will direct and write the next draft of the screenplay, which was written by Jordan VanDina.
Ari Lubet, Dennis Rodman and Lucy Kitada will serve as executive producers, while Nikki Baida co-produces.
The InSneider was first to report on Stanfeild’s casting.
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