Shaquille O'Neal joining Kyrie Irving in basketball movie “Uncle Drew”

PanARMENIAN.Net - The team is coming together. Shaquille O'Neal and Get Out star Lil Rel Howery are in negotiations to join Kyrie Irving in Uncle Drew, a film inspired by Irving's viral Pepsi commercials, The Hollywood Reporter reveals.

The film will center on a squad of the best geriatric basketball players who ban together in order to compete at the famed Rucker's tournament. Irving will reprise his role as the baller elderly man Uncle Drew, and sources say the star power on this project could be very high, with several other top NBA players circling roles on the team. (See one of Irving's Pepsi ads here).

Howery will play a young man who loves basketball and seeks out Uncle Drew's help.

Temple Hill's Marty Bowen and Wyck Godfrey are producing the film, which has a script by Jay Longino. Drumline helmer Charles Stone is directing. Lionsgate has acquired distribution rights to the hot project.

Howery, who played Bobby Carmichael on the NBC series The Carmichael Show, had a memorable performance as the TSA agent and best friend of Daniel Kaluuya's character in Jordan Peele’s breakout horror hit Get Out. He’s repped by UTA and 3 Arts Entertainment.

O'Neal spent 19 years in the NBA, winning three consecutive championships with the L.A. Lakers, and a fourth with the Miami Heat. He returned in 2011. He’s appeared in various films throughout the years including the 1996 film Kazaam and the 1997 film Steel, along with, more recently, Adam Sandler’s Blended and Jack and Jill.

Irving has been playing with the Cleveland Cavaliers since 2011. He won the NBA championship in 2016 with the team, and also has an Olympic Gold medal from the 2016 Summer Olympics as part of the U.S. men’s basketball team.