SB Nation Kansas City - 'Jayhawkers' Movie To Star Current Kansas Player Justin Wesleyhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48935/kc-fave.png2012-08-21T09:14:02-05:00http://kansascity.sbnation.com/rss/stream/30204462012-08-21T09:14:02-05:002012-08-21T09:14:02-05:00Wilt Chamberlain's Family Fights Against Jayhawkers Movie
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<p>Wilt Chamberlain's sister, Barbara O. Chamberlain-Lewis, is trying to put a stop to the forthcoming <i><a target="_blank" href="https://www.facebook.com/JayhawkersMovie">Jayhawkers</a> </i>movie about Chamberlain's time at Kansas University.</p>
<p>Chamberlain-Lewis, acting on behalf of the Chamberlain family, had previously entered into an agreement with filmmaker and KU professor Kevin Willmott to sell the rights to do a movie about Chamberlain. That agreement has since expired and, after Willmott reached out again in the spring, Chamberlain-Lewis told him on the phone and in letters that she and the family would not sign off on the project.</p>
<p>Willmott decided to go ahead with a new script, arguing that the rights were unnecessary since the film's main characters are former KU coach Phog Allen and Chancellor Franklin Murphy, <a target="_blank" href="http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2012/aug/20/wilt-chamberlains-family-protests-movie/">via Tom Keegan of LJWorld.com</a>:</p>
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<p>"Our entertainment lawyer told us we didn't need the rights," he said. "It's an ensemble film. Wilt's not the main character, so it's no longer necessary to buy the rights."<br>…<br>"This is about Wilt's time at KU, and KU owns the rights to the story, and the Allen family, and the Allen family is working with us," Willmott said. "... I'm a professor at KU. This is KU history. This is Lawrence history. This is not Wilt's life story. This is a much wider, bigger story than the bio pic. This is probably the movie we always should have been making."</p>
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<p>Willmott is currently raising funds for the movie, which has cast current Jayhawk <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/100969/justin-wesley" class="sbn-auto-link">Justin Wesley</a> to play Chamberlain.</p>
<p><i>For more on the <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/teams/kansas-jayhawks" class="sbn-auto-link">Kansas Jayhawks</a>, be sure to visit <a target="_blank" href="http://www.rockchalktalk.com/">Rock Chalk Talk</a>.</i></p>
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https://kansascity.sbnation.com/2012/8/21/3257192/jayhawkers-wilt-chamberlain-kansas-movie-familyJames Herbert2012-07-27T08:09:59-05:002012-07-27T08:09:59-05:00'Jayhawkers' Movie To Star Current Kansas Player Justin Wesley
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<p>Filming on a new feature motion picture begins in mid-August in Lawrence, Kansas for <a href="https://www.facebook.com/JayhawkersMovie" target="_blank"><i>Jayhawkers</i></a>, a movie that will feature several Kansas alumni currently in Hollywood as well as a current player, <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/100969/justin-wesley">Justin Wesley</a>, who will portray Wilt Chamberlain in the story about Phog Allen.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.kuathletics.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/072612aab.html" target="_blank">From the press release</a>, "The story follows the flamboyant Forrest "Phog" Allen, renowned as the Father of Basketball Coaching and one of the individuals responsible for making basketball an Olympic sport, as he recruits Wilt Chamberlain, perhaps the greatest player ever to wear the Kansas Jayhawk jersey. The Philadelphia phenom Chamberlain chooses KU over bigger colleges in bigger markets, hoping he can learn from the man who created the modern game.<span style="line-height: 9px;">"</span></p>
<p>The movie will also star Jay Karnes (<i>The Shield, Sons of Anarchy</i>) as Chancellor Franklin Murphy, Kip Niven (<i>Law & Order</i>) as Forrest "Phog" Allen and Blake Robbins (<i>Oz</i>) as Kansas coach Dick Harp.</p>
<p>Check out more info about the movie <a href="https://www.facebook.com/JayhawkersMovie" target="_blank">here</a>.</p>
https://kansascity.sbnation.com/kansas-jayhawks/2012/7/27/3193182/jayhawkers-movie-kansas-player-justin-wesleyMatt Conner