‘Dreambreaker’: Pickleball Documentary Nets Acquisition From Turner Sports’ TruTv And Max

deadline.com:

EXCLUSIVE: Turner Sports’ truTV and Max have acquired Dreambreaker: A Pickleball Story, “a humorous look into the serious business of our country’s fastest-growing sport.” The documentary produced and directed by Ashley Underwood and produced by Craig Coyne is set to premiere Friday, April 11 on truTV, followed by more airings on truTV and streaming on the Max platform.

It serves an inside look at a sport that’s gone from obscure to hugely popular in a few short years, hot enough for Tom Brady and LeBron James to buy into pickleball franchises.

Dreambreaker “captures in real time the pro-Pickleball pioneers and volleys between the senior citizen nudists next door and the billionaire investors cashing in on America’s latest gold rush,” notes a release. “Winner takes all as two wealthy Texas entrepreneurs form rival professional pickleball leagues and feud over the world’s top players. “As America’s newest pro sport segues into its terrible twos, emotions run high through failed mergers, re-mergers, boardroom brawls, and tense negotiations with a bevy of pro players caught in the crossfire.” Underwood, whose credits include producing Sacha Baron Cohen’s Borat Subsequent Moviefilm and Cohen’s Showtime series Who Is America?, took up pickleball herself during the Covid pandemic.

She said in a statement, “truTV’s primetime focus on both live sports and comedy makes it a perfect fit for Dreambreaker. Pro pickleball exploded from a casual pastime into a high-stakes battleground, drawing athletes, agents and celebrities into a gold rush.