Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
A scripted series about the gambling scandal involving Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani and his former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, is close to becoming a reality with Starz, according to a new report. Mizuhara is currently serving a prison sentence of 57 months for bank fraud and filing a false tax return.
The project, first reported to be in development at Lionsgate Television in May 2024 by Deadline, is now nearing a deal with Starz, according to Variety.
The report states Alex Convery will serve as the writer, with Scott Delman and Albert Chen as producers. It would be the first time Convery has written for television. He previously wrote the script for film Air, starring Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. Chen has been a senior editor at Sports Illustrated, a contributor at MLB Network, and is the co-creator, co-host, and producer of the podcast All American.
History of the project
Back in May 2024, Deadline reported that Lionsgate said the series would “follow Ohtani’s rise as a star baseball player, which led to a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers — the biggest contract in American sports team history — only to be shrouded in controversy after the allegations against Mizuhara broke just one day into the 2024 MLB season.”
“This is major league baseball’s biggest sports gambling scandal since Pete Rose – and at its center is its biggest star, one that MLB has hitched its wagon on,” Albert Chen said at the time. “We’ll get to the heart of the story – a story of trust, betrayal and the trappings of wealth and fame.”
Scott Delman said about the project: “With a strong track record of creating daring, boundary-pushing series, Lionsgate Television is the perfect partner to bring this unbelievable story to the screen. In addition, Albert’s extensive sports journalism background will enable us to connect the dots to make sense of the startling turn of events we’ve seen play out on the world stage.”
Variety reports that representatives for Starz declined to comment on the project. Starz was a subsidiary of Lionsgate until this past may when it was spun off into its own company.
Fallout from the scandal
Ippei Mizuhara, who also as part of his plea deal was ordered to pay nearly $17 in restitution to Shohei Ohtani, impersonated the baseball superstar on approximately 24 occasions in order to wire money from his account. Ohtani claimed that he had no knowledge of Mizuhara stealing millions of dollars from his bank account and received no punishment from Major League Baseball.
The Resorts World casino in Las Vegas was given a $10.5 million fine over its connection to a money laundering scheme involving Ippei Mizuhara. It was the second-largest fine ever issued in the state of Nevada’s history.