Untold Sneak Peek
Jake Paul and the Problem Child
Premieres August 1
Director: Andrew Renzi
In 2013, Jake and his older brother, Logan, lit up social media with pranks and antics posted first to Vine and then a YouTube channel that racked up millions of views. The brothers parlayed their online success into lucrative side hustles, with Jake releasing music and landing a role on a Disney Channel show (Bizaardvark). As their notoriety grew, so did tensions between the once-close siblings. When Jake’s real-life controversies nearly ruined his career, he got a second chance as a boxer who shocked skeptics as he knocked out one opponent after another. UNTOLD: Jake Paul the Problem Child tells the story of a wide-eyed kid from Ohio who morphed from internet sensation to most polarizing man in sports. The film is built on gripping interviews with the Paul brothers — along with their parents, fans, fellow boxers and the skeptical old guard.
Johnny Football
Premieres August 8
Director: Ryan Duffy
In 2012, the brightest star in all of sports was an undersized freshman quarterback Johnny Manziel from unheralded Texas A&M, whose fervor on the field was rivaled only by his hard-partying ways off it. Dubbed “Johnny Football,” the magnetic football player captured the nation’s attention and initially relished his alter ego: “I wanted to be Johnny Football. Johnny Football never had a bad time,” he says. But as the money rolled in, the scrutiny heightened, and Manziel rejected his newfound fame and suddenly lost his way. With astonishing candor, Manziel — along with his family, coaches, former best friend and agent — details what happened behind the scenes as scandals piled up in the glare of paparazzi flashbulbs. He fumbled his shot at NFL success after the Cleveland Browns picked him in the first round of the NFL draft in 2014, but Manziel went on to search for something even greater.
Hall of Shame
Premieres August 15
Director: Bryan Storkel
Victor Conte’s name is synonymous with the biggest doping scandal ever to rock the sports community, ensnaring top athletes such as baseball great Barry Bonds and track-and-field legends Marion Jones and Tim Montgomery. For 16 years, Conte claimed BALCO Laboratories, his supplement and nutrition company based in the Bay Area, never dabbled in illegal performance-enhancing drugs. But by 2000, he went to the dark side and became the go-to guy for athletes in search of steroids, fame and world records. The film features interviews with several of Conte’s notable former associates — including Montgomery and the anti-doping and IRS authorities who helped send him to prison after a 42-count indictment — who give harrowing testimony as the legend of one of sports’ most notorious names continues to unfold.
Swamp Kings
Premieres August 22
Director: Katharine English
After a blazing run in the ’90s under Coach Steve Spurrier, the University of Florida’s winning streak died out by 2005. Enter Urban Meyer, the Gators’ demanding new head coach whose take-no-prisoners style bred not only a string of legendary victories, but also unrelenting drama that rippled well beyond the locker room. In their own words through extensive sit-down interviews paired with archival footage, the four-part series profiles Meyer and the titans he coached (Brandon Siler, Tim Tebow, Brandon Spikes, Major Wright and Ahmad Black, among many others). It gives viewers a bird’s-eye view of how they catapulted the Florida Gators from underdogs to winners of two BCS National Championships.
