Advanced Television

Mendes fronts Stokes documentary for Prime Video

May 19, 2022

Nik Roseveare @ Prime Video Presents

Prime Video has announced an Original documentary on the life and career of England cricket captain Ben Stokes will launch exclusively on the streaming platform later this year.

The announcement was made at the Prime Video Presents Showcase in London, where Stokes spoke to Academy Award-winning director Sam Mendes via a pre-recorded interview to explain his rationale for making the documentary and pulling back the curtain on his life story.

Produced by Whisper, Ben Stokes: Phoenix from the Ashes has been created with Mendes, who features on-screen to discuss the highs and lows of the cricket icon’s record-breaking career across a series of interviews. The documentary tells the story of Stoke’s journey, examining his world cup triumph and heroics at the Headingley crease as well as the lows which saw him take time away from the game and came at a huge personal cost.

The film’s crew captured Stokes’ most personal and challenging moments, including the final visit to see his terminally ill father and his struggles with mental health. Stoke explores this journey on-screen with cricket fanatic Mendes, who also executive produces the film. Ben Stokes: Phoenix from the Ashes features intimate interviews with Ben’s late father, his mother, wife and children along with friends, family and former teammates and opponents including: Joe Root, Jofra Archer, Neil Fairbrother and the late Shane Warne.

Stokes commented: “One thing I want to try and do with this is to get a side across to people that is quite tough to do in the image that we give across on TV. Certain aspects in the media you have to do in a certain way, to come across in a certain way, to please a certain amount of people whereas for this I don’t feel like I’m having to do that. I still think it’s crazy sat here that there’s a documentary being done about me. And then on top of that having Sam come and do the interviews. The whole thing is a crazy experience still for me to think about.”

Mendes added: “When they asked me to be involved in this excellent documentary, it took me about ten seconds to say yes. There are a lot of mysteries surrounding Ben Stokes, and a lot of questions I wanted to ask. To my amazement, he answered them all. I was always a fan of Ben as a cricketer – how can you not be, if you are a lover of sport at the highest level – but now my admiration extends well beyond the boundaries of cricket.”

Ben Stokes: Phoenix from the Ashes is directed by Chris Grubb and Luke Mellows and executive produced by Mendes, Mark Cole and Sunil Patel.

 

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