Sports

Connolly's Islanders Movie Set for Release

The film "Big Shot," which focuses on John Spano's fraudulent attempt to buy the team, will be released at the Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival.

It was one of the darker moments in a checkered Islanders history and diehard fan and Entourage star Kevin Connolly is capturing it for the Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival audience.

Connolly's "Big Shot" is set for an April 19 release at the New York City event. The movie focuses on John Spano's fraudulent purchase of the Islanders in 1996. The convicted swindler agreed to buy the team for $165 million and started forcing organizational moves before it became evident he did not have the money to close the acquisition.

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Among Spano's lies: His net worth, inherited wealth, mortgage payments and education.

On "Big Shot," Connolly told the Hollywood Reporter that "I've always thought the expression 'passion project' was kind of a cliche until I started working on Big Shot for ESPN. Working side by side and spending time with guys that I literally grew up idolizing has been a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The whole experience, including having the film premiere in New York at the festival, has been a dream come true."

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