Max Borenstein Interview: Winning Time
HBO's new drama Winning Time chronicles the rise of the 1980s Los Angeles Lakers dynasty, depicting an era where the team won five NBA Finals. Led by new owner Dr. Jerry Buss, star point guard Magic Johnson, and others, the Lakers electrified the league with their flashy «Showtime» style of play. Tasked with bringing this wild tale to the screen is showrunner Max Borenstein, who is perhaps best known for his work in the MonsterVerse franchise.
Screen Rant spoke with Borenstein about what drew him to Winning Time, learning new things while working on the show, and much more.
Related: Michael Chiklis Interview for Winning Time
Screen Rant: I know you from your MonsterVerse work. So this feels like, at least at the surface, a bit of a departure. How did you get involved with this series and why did you want to bring this story to life?
Max Borenstein: I grew up in LA and I grew up as a fan of basketball. My first sports memories are watching Magic Johnson and Kareem and the Showtime Lakers, so I was kind of a natural in that respect. This was the moment where LA basketball transformed culture. The moment the book was brought to me by Jim Hecht, who optioned it initially and is an enormous Lakers fan, and saw the potential, we were introduced by mutual friends and he and HBO, Adam McKay, and his partner Kevin Messick, were looking for a showrunner to come aboard and create the show. I realized that in reading the book, there was so much I didn't know. Particularly, the way in which this kind of epoch about the beginning of a basketball dynasty could be and really is a lens onto a transformative moment in culture that we feel the ripples of today.
You mentioned learning new things. What were you most surprised to learn that
Read more on screenrant.com
