Beast Mode is taking his talents from the gridiron to the big screen once again. According to Deadline, Marshawn Lynch will serve as executive producer for a new feature documentary titled 12, which explores the Seattle Seahawks’ near-relocation to Anaheim in the 1990s. Lynch’s Beastmode Productions will team up with Victory Sports Media, the group behind projects like Dream Big: The Michelle Wie Story and The Great Debate with Charles Barkley.
The documentary will highlight how Seattle’s fans, known as the 12s, and a group of civic leaders fought to keep the franchise in the Emerald City. It will combine interviews, rare archival footage, and dramatic re-creations to tell the story behind the successful effort to pass Referendum 48, which ultimately kept the Seahawks in Seattle.
“I’m hella appreciative to be part of the team working on this film,” Lynch said. “I’ll be honest, a lot of this story I knew nothing about, but once I heard it and did my own digging, it made me understand and see why there is so much love for the Seahawks and the city of Seattle. The 12s have always shown me love, hopefully they’ll see and feel through this doc that it’s mutual.”
A Deeper Dive
Victory Sports Media founders Jai Khanna and Parag Parikh called the film “a project that captures the rare intersection of sports, civic identity and grassroots power.” They also emphasized how Lynch’s connection to Seattle and his cultural influence bring an added layer of authenticity to the project.
The Seahawks’ near-move to Anaheim dates back to the late 1980s when owners Ken Behring and Ken Hofmann purchased the team and shifted operations to California. It took Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen buying the franchise in 1997 to solidify its future in Seattle.
Daniel Mogg, a veteran of NBC’s Sunday Night Football and former chief creative officer at Russell Wilson’s West2East Empire, will direct the film. Madeline Down, who has extensive experience with Seahawks live productions, will lead production efforts.
