Box to Box Films and Lusus have teamed up to develop a premium documentary series about the life of legendary Dutch footballer, Johan Cruyff. Scheduled for production later this year, the series is the first to be in collaboration with the Cruyff family.“Many beautiful films have already been made about my father," Johan Cruyff’s son, Jordi Cruyff, said. "For the first time ever my family and I have decided to participate in a project like this because we believe the time is right to do so. We aim for a masterpiece that encompasses, among others, the person behind the player and coach, his time at Ajax, FC Barcelona, the Dutch national team, his years in the USA, his impact on the game of football, and his enduring legacy that continues to inspire many people.”
Production will start later this year, with plans for an intended global release in Q3 or Q4 of 2025 confirmed. Box to Box Films and Lusus have confirmed active talkd with broadcast platforms interested in the project. The series is overseen by Co-founders Box to Box Films and Executive Producers James Gay-Rees and Paul Martin, as well as Co-founder of Lusus, Jaap Schneider. “To be in this privileged partnership with Lusus and the Cruyff family to tell the story of such a truly radical iconoclast, gives us as filmmakers the rare opportunity to really challenge the form of documentary film-making," James Gay-Rees, Executive Producer for Box to Box Films said. "The story of Cruyff demands nothing less; it’s massively exciting.”
The title will detail the life and career of the man who led the Dutch national team to the final of the 1978 World Cup, deemed as one of the most influential figures of the modern game and one of International football’s greatest players of all time. The series will feature interviews with those closest to Cruyff himself, as well as accounts from other legends of the game that worked closely with him and have been influenced by his genius. The series will also include never before seen archival footage giving “an exclusive insight into the man both on and off the pitch.”
“It’s not often that one is presented with the opportunity of telling the true and inside story of one of the all-time greats," Jaap Schneider, Executive Producer for Lusus said. "And after seeing the Maradona, Pele and Michael Jordan documentary (series) in recent years I believe the Cruyff series could be even more potent because of his multi-layered character and the fact he wasn’t just a football player but a visionary on many levels. We are extremely proud to have been given the trust of the Cruyff family to tell this story from the inside out for the first time ever.”
