British Soccer Star Jamie Vardy Teams With ‘Bake Off’s’ Love Productions USA For ‘Rhino Reboot’ Doc Series
Great British soccer star Jamie Vardy has teamed up with Love Productions USA on a new documentary series, “Rhino Reboot,” that will see him attempt to rebuild underdog soccer team The Rochester Rhinos.
Vardy, a Premier League soccer player who has also played for England, co-owns the Rhinos along with Sacramento Kings co-owners David and Wendy Dworkin. The series will offer exclusive access to the team’s management, coaching team, owners, players and staff as Vardy and his colleagues re-boot the Rhinos’ image and, hopefully, their performance as they make a bid for glory in 2022.
More from Variety
Amazon Snaps Up French Soccer Rights, Prompting Canal Plus Pull Out in Protest
English Soccer Teams Abandon Plans to Join Rebel European Super League
Among Vardy and the Dworkins’ first tasks will be finding a head coach and chief business officer, scouting for young players and building a team.
Love Productions USA is the U.S. arm of “Great British Bake-Off” producer Love Productions. Its co-presidents, Joe LaBracio and Al Edgington, have worked on sports productions including “Last Chance U” and “Cricket Fever: Mumbai Indians.”
“Jamie Vardy famously went from working on a factory floor to winning the Premier League title with Leicester City when they were a 5,000-1 shot, so as far as underdog stories go, viewers of this series can expect an exciting and entertaining ride,” said LaBracio and Edgington. “We have a lot of experience capturing the behind-the-scenes action, drama and ecstasy that goes into preparing a sports team for a winning season. David and Wendy are experienced franchise owners and know a winning opportunity when they spot it, and Jamie is the epitome of why we love sports—an underdog who continues to demonstrate that if you set goals and work hard, you can achieve greatness.”
Vardy added: “We are really looking forward to working with Al and Joe at Love Productions and for them to capture the exciting journey ahead with the Rhinos!”
LaBracio and Edgington will executive produce the project alongside Richard McKerrow (“The Great British Bake Off”), Simon Egan (“The King’s Speech”), Olwyn Silvester (“David Attenborough’s First Life”) and Adrian Butchart (“Goal!”).
Best of Variety
Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
