The Basketball Star (Johnsonverse)

Katie is a 2018 American sports action drama film released by Johnson Studios, produced by Tim Johnson and directed by Timothy Hill. It stars Chloe Johnson, Gary Nelson, Ray Liotta, Mary Steenburgen, Phil Hartman, Jenny Smith, Mike Myers, Vanessa Parsons, and Alicia Helbert, and follows aspiring basketball player Katie Foss, who joins the DeLeon Lady Eagles.

The film premiered in Hollywood on December 9, 2018, and had its worldwide debut eight days later. Critics praised it for its acting, especially from Johnson and Nelson, its action sequences, and the music score.

Plot
The prologue takes place in 2010. Katelyn "Katie" Foss (Chloe Johnson; young version played by Abby Rider Fortson) is an aspiring basketball player in the town of Staunton, Utah, living with her parents, former basketball player Sonny (Ray Liotta) and overprotective country star Franny (Mary Steenburgen). Her best friends are Wendy James (Jenny Smith; young version played by Adrianne Nelson) and Eddie Stone (Gary Nelson; young version played by his son Hayden Nelson). Katie, Wendy, and Eddie play basketball with their friends in an abandoned warehouse next to the Dairy Queen.

In the present day (2018), Katie, now 20, is still living with her parents, and is still best friends with Wendy.

WORK-IN-PROGRESS

Development
Development for Katie began in 2014 when the film was greenlit. Longtime Johnson Studios director Timothy Hill was signed on to direct.

Shooting
Principal photography took place from March 24 to August 30, 2017, at the Johnson Studios lot in San Jose, CA, with reshoots taking place from January 20 to February 1, 2018. The basketball scenes were filmed at

Music
The music score was composed by Hans Zimmer. Hill requested to make the score feel "intense and inspiring at the same time".