Avery Kelley 
From book to script to television screen, The Crossover, written by Kwame Alexander has finally come to life on Disney+.
The Crossover, which was originally published in 2014, focuses on the lives of 12-year-old twins Jordan and Josh, who have mean skills on the basketball court. But in the game of life, they have many challenges to overcome. Through the power of unity, team, and family, they can work together to handle anything life throws at them. The story, told through poetry, has now been brought to the screen as a new series.
The first season of the series recently dropped, but the making of the story began over nine years ago! Although it took a while to be brought to life, the time and effort put into making the project the very best, made it worth the wait. “We had to figure out how to translate the poetry, the basketball, these beautiful characters onto the screen, and so Damani (executive producer of The Crossover) and I came together to figure that out,” said Alexander. “And then we had to cast it and figure out who was gonna create this chemistry on screen, where were we gonna create this family? So all these sort of layers y’know, that took time.”
When adapting the book for television, finding the right streaming home for the show was a major priority. “It took a little bit of time and effort and work for us to figure out who to work with,” Alexander said. “It made sense that I’m in this space of creating family entertainment through books. Why not work with the brand that’s all about family entertainment and inspiration? Disney.”
The story of the Crossover goes much deeper than just basketball. It tells stories of love, loss, relationships, and the importance of working together. Derek Luke and Sabrina Revelle, who portray the roles of Jordan and Josh’s parents, shared how the main message behind the series is to show you can get through the good the bad and the ugly with the right players on your side. Revelle stated, “The over arcing lesson…is the team aspect, the support, the coming together as a team to get through whatever life throws your way, whatever crossovers you’re dealing with, get through it as a team.” But team isn’t the only powerful message shown throughout The Crossover, which also stars Jaylyn Hall and Amir O’Neil. It’s one of many, including the power of representation.
The Crossover is a project fueled by Black positivity through the stories, the cast, the crew, and the content. Executive producer of the series, Kimberly Harrison, shares how the representation provided through the show made this the perfect project to work on. “What attracted me to the project was the representation. This amazing book and this beautiful cast and these beautiful stories that we’re telling. And it’s been a while since we’ve seen a show where you can sit down with your kids and actually take something away. You’re as invested as they are, so for me it was all about representation and my kids having a show where they could see people who look like them on the screen.” Such positive representation is what makes this series one that’s uplifting our culture, but created for all cultures.
Executive producer, Damani Johnson, said, …“There’s something very universal about this project. Yes, it’s about a Black family and that’s the most important thing I think for the three of us (Johnson, Alexander, and Harrison) was, I think, showing ourselves on screen in a different light. …It doesn’t matter where you come from, what you look like; this story speaks to everybody. …Ninety percent of almost all of the world NEEDS The Crossover in their life.”
And anyone who watches is sure to agree. Make sure to watch The Crossover, now streaming on Disney+.
By Avery Kelley
Instagram: @askaveryk
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