Bo Burnham to play NBA legend Larry Bird in the upcoming 1980s Lakers series

Bo Burnham is putting his stature to good use in the presently untitled Lakers project coming to HBO, in which he plays former NBA MVP Larry Bird. The 6-foot-5-inch director, comedian, and actor has been involved in the forthcoming Adam McKay-produced drama series Showtime: Magic, Kareem, Riley, and the Los Angeles Lakers Dynasty of the 1980s, which is inspired by Jeff Pearlman's book of the same name.

According to Entertainment Weekly, while the series will concentrate on the multi-championship-winning 1980s Los Angeles Lakers team, which included legendary basketball players like Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, it will also majorly showcase Johnson's heated rivalry with Boston Celtics star Larry Bird.

Bo Burnham to play Laker MVP in 1980s Lakers series

Burnham developed and directed the critically acclaimed A24 film Eighth Grade before starring as Carey Mulligan's love interest in Promising Young Woman, which is nominated for five Academy Awards. Burnham is only four inches shorter than Bird at 6'5". So with the aid of a plumed blond wig and some less-than-kind facial prosthetics, he ought to be able to pull off the part. 

Jason Segal will co-star as Jerry West, the “cantankerous tortured genius of basketball,” according to Collider. John C. Reilly will play Lakers manager Jerry Buss, the self-made millionaire who turned the Lakers into a basketball empire, even to the detriment of those closest to him. Coach Pat Riley and Jessie Buss, Jerry Buss' mother, will be played by Adrien Brody and Sally Field, respectively, who are winners of Academy Awards. Jerry Buss' business partner, Frank Mariani, will be portrayed by Stephen Adly Guirgis. Kirk Bovill will play L.A. slumlord and future Clippers manager Donald Sterling and Spencer Garrett will play legendary Lakers play-by-play announcer Chick Hearn.

Finally, Michael Cooper will be played by Delante Desouza. Earvin Johnson Sr., Magic's father, will be played by Rob Morgan, and Earletha "Cookie" Kelly, Magic's fiance and future wife, will be played by Tamera Tomakili. Lon Rosen, a Forum worker who later became Magic's agent, will be played by Joey Brooks, while Linda Zafrani, another Forum employee who later married former Laker Kurt Rambis, will be played by Molly Gordon.

Promo Image Source: Shutterstock