Exclusive: O’Shea Jackson Jr. talks Swagger Season 2 and filming Den of Thieves 2
Returning for a second season June 23 on Apple TV+ “Swagger,'' the acclaimed and emotional sports drama helmed by creator, showrunner and director Reggie Rock Bythewood. The Apple Original series will debut with the first episode on Friday, June 23, 2023, followed by one new episode weekly every Friday through August 11 on Apple TV+.
Inspired by NBA superstar Kevin Durant’s experiences, “Swagger” explores the world of youth basketball, and the players, their families and coaches who walk the fine line between dreams and ambition, and opportunism and corruption. Off the court, the show reveals what it’s like to grow up in America.
The series stars O’Shea Jackson Jr., Isaiah Hill, Shinelle Azoroh, Academy Award nominee Quvenzhané Wallis, Tristan Mack Wilds, Caleel Harris, Tessa Ferrer, James Bingham, Solomon Irama, Ozie Nzeribe, Jason Rivera, Christina Jackson and Sean Baker reprise their roles for season two, alongside new additions Orlando Jones and Shannon Brown.
In season two, we meet the man-children Jace, Phil, Nick, Musa, Drew and Royale as they are entering their senior year of high school. All but Phil will be attending Cedar Cove Prep; a predominantly White institution where wealthy board members control the entire operation from the hiring of faculty to the enrollment of students. It is a school of power and influence. For all of their academic success, their basketball program has not been competitive until Emory Lawson, the athletic director, managed to acquire the Swagger players.
Almost overnight, Cedar Cove’s basketball program becomes elite, attracting the attention of Alonzo Powers from Gladiator Sneakers. Games are attended by top college scouts from the nation and are live-streamed for thousands of fans. With winning comes scrutiny and the players find themselves under a microscope as they vie for a national high school championship.
Everything is going right in the life of Jace Carson and his family. Jenna is renting a house in a residential neighborhood and her cosmetic sales business is booming. Then, a video surfaces that threatens to destroy it all. It is surveillance footage of Coach Warwick, Crystal’s former coach, being beat down in an alley. The attackers are masked but Coach Warwick believes he has found evidence proving the Swagger players were involved. As this speculation reaches the public eye and social media, the bond of brotherhood the players have built is tested. Their once promising futures are in jeopardy.
O’Shea Jackson Jr., who starred in Straight Outta Compton and was recently seen in the Disney+ series Obi-Wan Kenobi and Cocaine Bear, is set to reprise his role in Den Of Thieves: Pantera, the sequel to the 2018. Blackfilmandtv.com’s Wilson Morales spoke with O’Shea Jackson Jr. about Season 2 of Swagger and filming Den of Thieves: Pantera in Spain.