’Safety’: Mark Ciardi & Ray-Ray McElrathbey Talk New Disney+ Film And The Power Of Sports Movies [The Fourth Wall #27]

If you're a sports fan, there's nothing quite like the rush of watching a half-court buzzer-beater or a Super Bowl-winning touchdown in the final seconds of the game. There's just something remarkable about a group of individuals uniting to accomplish something greater than themselves. It's a trait that's inherently cinematic, however, simply recreating the excitement of game day for a feature film isn't enough. All the best sports movies understand that the power and impact of their story represent more than a game. For almost 20 years, producer Mark Ciardi ("The Rookie," "Invincible" and "Miracle") has lived by that philosophy delivering some of Disney's most poignant character dramas through the lens of popular athletic contests as a means for sparking a larger conversation. The former baseball player turned producer now takes his talents to Disney+ to deliver the story of 18-year-old Ray-Ray McElrathbey (Jay Reeves) who fights to not only keep his Clemson football scholarship but, most importantly stepping up to care for his 11-year-old brother Fahmarr (Thaddeus J. Mixson) after their mother enters rehab in "Safety."

Ray's story is one many young athletes can relate to, yet, it's a story rarely represented on the big screen. Learning how to divide one's time and balance both athletics and academics is enough of a challenge. However, when you factor in a troubled home life, it becomes an almost impossible task to rise to. Ray and his little brother, Fahmarr, understand that all too well, but, hope that their story can give some encouragement to young athletes looking for guidance.

While "Safety" has been in development since 2010, Mark Ciardi understood the importance of getting it made delivering encouraging messages of family, maturity, and parenthood as he continued to advocate for it. Even when given the green light, Ciardi wanted to make sure he captured the proper emotions of Ray's moment as the crew headed to Clemson to film in Memorial Stadium for a live football game.

You can listen to the rest of our conversation with Mark Ciardi and Ray-Ray McElrathbey and check out "Safety" when it hits Disney+ on Dec. 11.

This interview was conducted by Ronal E. Smith (@Just_Ron10)

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