Jessica Alba Starring In Movie About One Of The Most Inspirational Sports Teams Ever

Jessica Alba has been cast in the upcoming sports movie Flash Before the Bang.

By Charlene Badasie | Updated

jessica alba

Jessica Alba has been cast in the upcoming sports movie Flash Before the Bang. The film is inspired by the true story of an all-deaf high school track and field team in 1980s Oregon. The project is the brainchild of deaf writer and director Jevon Whetter, on whose experience the movie is based.

Russell Harvard and Daniel Durant have also signed on.

According to DeadlineFlash Before the Bang follows a bullied deaf track runner searching for an opportunity at a high school for deaf students. But his hopes are dashed by the unmotivated team with a deaf coach in the midst of a mid-life crisis. As such, the team will have to dig deep and overcome adversity to win victory at the 1986 Oregon State Track and Field Championship.

Speaking about the Jessica Alba movie, Jevon Whetter says he is convinced that the world is ready for an uplifting story that depicts disabled people as “multi-dimensional beings with hopes, flaws, and dreams who are capable of becoming fighters, heroes, and champions.” Production will begin in Georgia in September.

Since more than half the characters in the story are deaf, they will be played by deaf actors.

Jevon Whetter and his bother Delbert, who is a producer on the project, are from a multigenerational deaf family. Actors Harvard and Durant are also deaf. Ben Affleck and Matt Damon will serve as executive producers along with Fanshen Cox in association with Trujulo Productions and Jessica Alba. 

Flash Before the Bang will be introduced to international buyers at the Cannes Film Market this week.

Jessica Alba expressed her excitement about the project, saying the script deeply moved her. She says the story gives people a glimpse into the “little-known reality of what life was like for deaf and disabled people who were cut off from society” before the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. “I’m so excited to be a part of this groundbreaking story,” she added.

After starring opposite Gabrielle Union in L.A.’s Finest from 2019 to 2020, Jessica Alba’s career has been relatively quiet. She’ll soon be starring in Netflix’s Trigger Warning, though a release date for the film hasn’t been released yet.

jessica alba
Jessica Alba in L.A.’s Finest

The Trigger Warning script was written by Josh Olson, John Brancato, and Otep Shamaya. Olson was nominated for a 2005 Academy Award for the graphic novel adaptation of A History of Violence. Brancato’s credits include Terminator Salvation and the 2009 sci-fi film Surrogates.

Along with leading the cast, Jessica Alba executive produced the project alongside Thunder Road’s Basil Iwanyk and Erica Lee.

The actress was recently spotted courtside for Game 2 of the New York Knicks and the Miami Heat playoff series, as you can see on Twitter. Jessica Alba, who is reportedly a Knicks fan, went home happy as New York defeated Miami 111-105. The 42-year-old also spends her downtime serving as chief creative officer of The Honest Company – a digital-first consumer goods firm.

Jessica Alba’s most notable film and television roles include Sin City, Into the Blue, Fantastic Fourand Dark Angel.