Basil Iwanyk, producer of films such as “Sicario,” “The Town,” and the John Wick franchise, has taken on a project closer to home.
In memory of the 50th anniversary of the exceptional New York sports year of 1969, SNY is airing after Wednesday’s Subway Series game a documentary, “62,000:1 – Three Teams, One City, One Year,” in honor of the Mets, Jets and Knicks miraculously earning their first championship titles.
“We wanted to focus on the teams, the characters, and the players,” Iwanyk told The Post. “We also wanted to focus on what was going on in New York at the time, and America in general.”
Iwanyk, the founder of Thunder Road Films, now resides in Los Angeles, but he is originally from Teaneck, New Jersey and grew up on the New York sports franchises.
“I watch and read absolutely everything about these three teams,” said Iwanyk, who was born four days into 1970.
“It all goes back to what we were trying to say in the documentary. I inherited the love for those three teams by my father and my kids have inherited that love as well.”
SNY producers reached out to Iwanyk and a couple of other producers last year to talk about the possibility of working on the film. Some may consider it a curious match for Iwanyk considering his action-movie resume, but the producer had some emotional and personal ties to the story.
“Whether it’s a film like the John Wick movies, or any of the movies I’ve done with Thunder Road, you always try to find an emotional way in, and answer the question why do I care,” Iwanyk said.
“For me, I thought this would be great to be around these athletes that I’ve been hearing about my whole life. I thought that I could contribute something to the Mets, Jets and Knicks legacy. But I discovered along the way what it means to be a Mets, Jets and Knicks fan, and the fact I inherited that from my father and my kids have inherited it from me … It struck me emotionally. I didn’t realize that this was deep down what I wanted to do, make something more for not only the New York sports fan, but for my father and my kids and celebrate our relentless despair of never giving up.”
The story is told through the eyes of some notable legends such as Ed Kranepool, Joe Namath and Walt “Clyde” Frazier.
“Three teams from one city winning championships in one year is such a remarkable feat that it has only happened twice in the history of sports in our country,” SNY president Steve Raab said. “We felt compelled to not only commemorate the 50th Anniversary of New York’s championship year, but also to share this remarkable piece of the city’s history in a contemporary way that is relevant to fans of all ages.”
The film comes at a time where each franchise is dealing with a certain level of despair. The Knicks just lost the free-agency battle for Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving to the Nets. The Mets are underwhelming in a season new GM Brodie Van Wagenen predicted big things for. The Jets just fired their coach and GM months apart and are hoping Adam Gase and Joe Douglas hold the keys to a brighter future.
“The year of ’69 is one of the reasons why every year going into these seasons, no matter what we hear or what we may think, we have hope deep down that something like this could happen again,” said Iwanyk. “Once a miracle like that happens, every option is open.”