Apple TV+'s new sports drama series Swagger, inspired by the youth basketball experiences of NBA player Kevin Durant, was forced to recast one of its lead roles by replacing Winston Duke with O'Shea Jackson Jr. Duke, who was originally slated to play Ike, suffered an injury while on set and could not continue filming. Soon after, Jackson was tabbed for the role of Ike, a coach and former standout player.
Swagger centers its narrative on players, coaches, and parents, as they navigate accomplishments, setbacks, and drama in the world of basketball at the youth level. Reggie Rock Bythewood serves as the show's director, writer, and executive producer. Swagger counts current Brooklyn Nets player Durant as one of its producers and also features Tristan Wilds, Quvenzhané Wallis, and Tessa Ferrer in starring roles. Durant previously acted as executive producer for the 2020 short film Two Distant Strangers and the 2019 documentary Q Ball.
Apple TV+'s development of Swagger began in January 2018 and Duke was announced as the series' leading name at the time filming started in October 2019. Duke's on-set injury occurred in February 2020, thus causing production to temporarily pause while the recasting search was underway. The COVID-19 pandemic further delayed filming until December 2020, when production resumed with Jackson in place of Duke. Swagger's recasting of Duke in the role of Ike was an unfortunate outcome; however, Jackson's acting talent should bode well for the Apple TV+ series' success.
Duke is most widely acclaimed for his portrayal of M'Baku in Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame. He additionally starred in Jordan Peele's 2019 horror flick Us. Duke's hypothetical appearance in Swagger would have been a worthy addition to his resume and the actor's first TV gig since 2016. Nonetheless, even without Swagger, Duke will stay in the limelight, as his injury has not stalled any of his upcoming appearances, including that of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, which is slated for release in 2022.
Given the circumstances, the casting of O'Shea Jackson Jr. in place of Duke is far from a misstep. Jackson is best known for portraying his father Ice Cube in 2015's Straight Outta Compton, with other notable appearances in 2019's Godzilla: King of the Monsters and 2017's Ingrid Goes West. The TV landscape is rather new to Jackson, as the actor has landed his most prominent roles in movies. Despite his minimal TV experience, Jackson is well-suited to play Ike—who functions as a mentor-like figure for budding basketball players in the show. As a result, Swagger will give Jackson a spotlight in the TV world before his appearance in the Disney+ series Obi-Wan Kenobi.