LaKeith Stanfield is stepping into one of the wildest chapters in NBA history.
Lionsgate has officially announced that the Oscar-nominated actor will star in 48 Hours in Vegas, the long-awaited film inspired by Dennis Rodman’s infamous mid-Finals getaway during the Chicago Bulls’ 1998 championship run.
Directed by Rick Famuyiwa (The Mandalorian, Dope), the film will dive into the chaotic, possibly true, and definitely legendary trip that has become one of sports culture’s most iconic stories.
During the 1998 NBA Finals, at the height of the Bulls’ dynasty, Rodman asked coach Phil Jackson for a short break. What followed was a 48-hour Vegas adventure that teammates, reporters, and The Last Dance viewers still talk about with disbelief.
48 Hours in Vegas promises to dramatize those two days with humor, surreal energy, and the kind of larger-than-life swagger only Rodman himself could inspire.
The film will follow Rodman and his entourage through Sin City as they juggle celebrity chaos, emotional unraveling, and the pressure of returning to the court with a championship on the line.
Cast as Rodman, LaKeith Stanfield brings the perfect mix of charisma, unpredictability, and depth to the role. Known for Judas and the Black Messiah, The Book of Clarence, and FX’s Atlanta, Stanfield has built a reputation for transforming into complex, culturally resonant figures.
“I’m genuinely excited to help create an exhilarating, joyful work that both honors and thoughtfully examines the legacy of Rodman and fellow trailblazers,” Stanfield said in a statement. “Those who moved to the beat of their own drum, undeterred by the obstacles placed before them, then and now.”
The film aims not just to capture the spectacle, but the psyche, the vulnerability behind the bravado, the humanity behind the headlines.
Lionsgate executives Meredith Wieck and Pavan Kalidindi will oversee the project. Wieck praised the casting and creative direction, saying:
“Dennis Rodman is more than a basketball player, more than a personality—he’s an entire cultural phenomenon… There’ll never be another like him. LaKeith and the incredibly talented team on this film will bring the legend to life in this most extraordinarily unbelievable story.”
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