Lionsgate Developing TV Series on Shohei Ohtani Interpreter Gambling Scandal – Media Play News

Erik Gruenwedel

May 9, 2024

Lionsgate Television May 9 announced it is developing a scripted series based on this year’s gambling scandal surrounding the interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani. Thirteen-time Tony Award winner and television producer Scott Delman, and award-winning writer, author and producer Albert Chen are attached to produce.

The series will follow Ohtani’s meteoric rise and carefully guarded persona surrounding a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers — the biggest contract in American team sports history. Just months later and only a day into the 2024 MLB season in March, news broke that Ohtani’s interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, stole $16 million from the baseball player to pay off gambling debts that totaled $40 million.

The Dodgers fired Mizuhara following the allegations and he later turned himself in to federal authorities.

On May 7, Mizuhara pleaded guilty to two felony charges of bank fraud and filing a false tax return, and was ordered to pay nearly $17 million in restitution to Ohtani. The pleas help Mizuhara avoid up to 33 years in jail had the case gone to trial. He now faces seven-to-nine years in federal prison when sentenced on May 14.

“The extent of this defendant’s deception and theft is massive,” United States Attorney Martin Estrada said in a statemente. “He took advantage of his position of trust to take advantage of Ohtani and fuel a dangerous gambling habit.”

Chen says the series revolves around 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.

“We’ll get to the heart of the story — a story of trust, betrayal and the trappings of wealth and fame,” Chen said in a statement.

Delman’s past television credits include TV series “Station 11.” He has also earned six Olivier Awards and served as a producer on several major Broadway hits, including The Book of Mormon, Death of a Salesman, All the Way, Raisin in the Sun, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and The Ferryman, among others.

Chen wrote the sports gambling book Billion Dollar Fantasy. He was the co-creator, co-host and producer of the Webby Award-winning podcast All American from Stitcher and SiriusXM. Chen served as senior editor at Sports Illustrated, where he covered baseball and wrote more than a dozen cover stories for the magazine, and he has been a contributor at MLB Network.

This announcement comes as Lionsgate Television has several high-profile projects in development, including the first English-language series adaptation of Park Chan-wook’s acclaimed film Oldboy.

Executive Max Elins is overseeing the project for Lionsgate Television, and Bryan Weiser negotiated the deal.

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