Netflix's 'Amateur' director had to navigate real-life NCAA regulations in casting a 15 year old as a basketball star

Director Ryan Koo got himself the golden ticket when his directorial debut "Amateur" was bought by Netflix in the script stage to be one of its original movies. But the journey the movie took to get to the streaming giant's millions of viewers was a challenging one.

It's a struggle to make every movie, but Koo can make the argument that he took on obstacles that most first-time filmmakers don't.

In "Amateur" (currently available on Netflix) we get a look inside what young basketball phenoms go through to get the attention of a big-time Division I NCAA school. Main character 14-year-old Terron Forte is a star on his school basketball team, but to get to the next level his family enrolls him in a shady prep-school. In doing so, we see firsthand the corruption behind youth athletics where the kids no longer play for the coach, or to get into college, or even the NBA - they play for the brands.

To capture that authentic feel, Koo cast 15-year-old actor Michael Rainey Jr. in the role of Terron. And as he explained to Business Insider, what came with that decision were a lot of restrictions that, if navigated incorrectly, could have crippled the entire movie.