Starz picks up drama on gambling scandal involving Shohei Ohtanis former interpreter

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After 18 months of shopping the script, the proposed Lionsgate Television series based on the gambling scandal involving Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter is in development at Starz.The project will spotlight the audacious theft by Ippei Mizuhara of $16 million from Ohtani to pay off staggering gambling debts.Mizuhara was fired by the Dodgers after the crimes came to light in March 2024.

A year later, he was convicted of defrauding Ohtani in federal court and sentenced to 57 months in prison.California Shohei Ohtani is considered a victim as prosecutors charge ex-interpreter Ippei Mizuhara with bank fraud after $16 million was stolen from the Dodgers star.The series will be produced by Tony Award winner Scott Delman, known for “The Book of Mormon” and “A Raisin in the Sun,” and sports journalist Albert Chen.

Alex Convery, who wrote “Air,” is on board as showrunner and screenwriter while Justin Lin (the  “Fast and Furious” franchise) will direct, according to the Hollywood Reporter.“This is 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,” Chen said in a statement to The Times.“We’ll get to the heart of the story — a story of trust, betrayal and the trappings of wealth and fame.”Lionsgate was having trouble selling the project to companies with media rights agreements with Major League Baseball — Disney, Warner Bros., Discovery, Apple, Netflix and Comcast — because the companies didn’t want to jeopardize their relationships with the league, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Lionsgate is the former parent company of Starz, but the two formally separated in May.The story unquestionably is compelling.Mizuhara befriended Ohtani in Japan when the player who would become the most accomplished hitting and pitching combinatio...