Ridley Scott Associates and Rob McElhenney to document Enhanced Games

Ridley Scott Associates and Rob McElhenney’s More Better Productions have signed an exclusive access agreement to make a documentary about the Enhanced Games.

The Enhanced Games is an effort to create a sporting event that allows “enhancements,” such as doping, to be used under medical supervision. It is currently planning to have its first event in late 2025, but has attracted criticism from the IOC, Olympic Committees, anti-doping agencies, and athletes for potentially endangering its competitors and having an adverse effect on fair play.

The production companies will have access to co-founders Aron D’Souza and Christian Angermayer, and the unscripted rights to the Enhanced Games story and materials. They aim to lead with the human stories of those involved: “embedding with the organisers attempting to set up a sporting event that is positioning itself as direct competition to the Olympic Games and a group of sportspeople preparing to openly take drugs and use cutting-edge science to enhance their performances in a bid to break world records.”

D’Souza has been reported as claiming that the event has 500 “sleeper athletes” ready to compete. For this production, at the time of writing, the Enhanced Games website is advertising for, “ten athletes to be paid stars in the documentary series produced by Ridley Scott Associates and Rob McElhenney’s More Better Productions.” In a video on the site, D’Souza asks for applications from athletes with, “elite athlete potential,” in either athletics, gymnastics, swimming, combat, or strength. He also asks that they, “have an established social media following and a compelling personal story.”

He claims that those selected will receive, “$100,000 [£79,000], coaching support, and be part of a movement that redefines the limits of human potential,” and the website also lists training, travel and accomodation assistance, and medical supervision throughout the process as benefits. Anyone over 18-years-old can apply with a short video explaining why they should be chosen, which they must share on social platforms with the tag #enhancedgames before 3 May.

In addition, former Olympic swimmer James Magnussen, who is coming out of retirement with the aim to break the 50 metre Freestyle world record at the first Enhanced Games, will star in the documentary. Others chosen to feature in the documentary won’t be revealed until after the Paris Olympic Games this summer.

Dominic Crossley-Holland, RSA’s head of unscripted, said: “We are excited to tell the story of Enhanced Games; a noisy spin on the sports genre that poses provocative questions about morality, science, and the future of humanity. At RSA, we are known for pushing the bounds of storytelling and this project fits the mould, exploring the grey areas surrounding the convergence of technology and sport to enhance performance. The series asks, where is the line?”.

Rob McElhenney of More Better Productions said: “More Better is honoured to partner with RSA to help tell the extraordinary story behind the Enhanced Games. From the moment we discovered this competition was in the works, we knew this deserved a deep exploration through a thoughtful docuseries lens.”

Aron D’Souza, president of the Enhanced Games, said: “It is only fitting that the story of the first sporting competition for the future should be told by the best documentary makers and sci-fi world-builders in the industry. We are thrilled to have RSA and More Better document our journey as we take the Enhanced Games from the seed of an idea to the biggest sporting enterprise in history, eventually becoming the Google of human enhancement.”