After 18 months of script shopping, Lionsgate Television has proposed a series based on a gambling scandal involving the Dodgers superstar. Shohei OhtaniA translator is in development at Starz.
The project will tell about the brave Ippei Mizuhara's theft of $16 million from Otani to pay off huge 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.
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, will serve as showrunner and writer, and Justin Lin (Fast and Furious franchise) will direct the film. according to Hollywood Reporter.
“This is the biggest sports gambling scandal in Major League Baseball since Pete Rose, and at the center of it is the biggest star MLB has joined,” Chen said in a statement to The Times. “We get to the heart of the story—a story of trust, betrayal, and the trappings of wealth and fame.”
Lionsgate had trouble selling the project to companies that have 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 Hollywood Reporter. Lionsgate is the former parent company of Starz, but they officially split in May.
The story is undeniably fascinating. Mizuhara became friends with Ohtani in Japan, when the player who became the most successful hitting and pitching combination in baseball history was an 18-year-old rookie for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters.
Ohtani came to the United States in 2018 at age 23, signing with the Angels. Mizuhara soon became his most trusted friend and translator, acting as an intermediary between Ohtani and almost everyone who spoke English, including the media, his agent, and Angels officials.
Mizuhara arranged wire transfers from Otani's bank account without the gambler's knowledge or permission and impersonated him during more than two dozen phone calls with bank employees, all to fuel a gambling addiction that resulted in losses of $40 million on thousands of bets.
Mizuhara allegedly won $142 million but lost about $183 million.
Ohtani signed a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers in December 2023, and the scandal broke three months later. Ohtani was acquitted by federal authorities and named a victim.
“Ippei stole money from my account and lied,” Otani said through his new translator, Will Ireton, shortly after Mizuhara’s arrest. “I never agreed to pay off the debt or make payments to the bookmaker.
“I'm just shocked. It's very difficult to put into words how I feel at this moment.”
Ohtani quickly put that episode behind him, leading the Dodgers to World Series championships in 2024 and 2025. He was named National League Most Valuable Player both years.
