Kal Pennhas yet another piece of art in the works. TheDesignated Survivorstar will join Stampede Ventures’ biopicSuperfanin the form of both producer and leading role,Deadlinereports. The film will focus onNav Bhatia, a dedicated, years-long fan of Canadian basketball team the Toronto Raptors. Because of his love and support for the team, Bhatia, who will be portrayed by Penn, was given his own championship ring, the honor of heading the team’s 2019 championship parade, and was even the very first fan to be inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall Of Fame.
After immigrating to Toronto impoverished and down on his luck, the Sikh man had to face many forms of racism and bigotry while he was getting back on his feet to ultimately become one of the most successful car salesmen and dealership owners in Canada. Bhatia soon found a love for the sport of basketball so much so that he can boast never missing a Raptors home game. Giving back to his community, Bhatia makes it a point during every season to bring underprivileged children from all over Canada to Toronto to give them the chance to see the Raptors from the stands. Additionally, each year in April, the businessman also gives back by financially backing and putting together the Baisakhi halftime show on the Raptor’s court in order to bring the Sikh New Year celebrations to his fellow Canadians.
Stampede Ventures’Greg SilvermanandJon Berg, who will produce with Penn and Industry Entertainment’sDan Spilo, are on the hunt for a writer and director for the biopic. Yellow Mango Films’Rinku Gheiwill join the trio as an executive producer.
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Berg and Spilo spoke of their excitement for working on Bhatia’s inspiring story by saying, “Nav has trusted us with his story — one that empowers others to believe in themselves, and to follow their dreams even when the road ahead is challenging. It’s an honor to share his passion and journey on a global scale.”
No one may be more thrilled for the upcoming biopic than the main focus himself, Bhatia. In a statement he made about the film, the Raptors superfan said, “I’m speechless. To have the opportunity to continue to tell my story with such esteemed producers is a dream. Then to find out Kal Penn has been brought on to play me is even more surreal. This is not something I can even dream of. He is one of my favorite actors and to know he also loves basketball is an added bonus. I’ll be teaching him all my tricks of the trade when distracting opposing players!”
If you’re a fan of the Toronto Raptors and Bhatia, but need something to hold you over until the Penn-led film is released, CBC plans to soon reveal an unconnected documentary later this month. The film, which is also to be namedSuperfan, will further tell the story of Bhatia’s life but in documentary style.
