Pasadena – ESPN will tap actress Eva Longoria and Marvel Entertainment to help boost its short films output, the sports network announced Wednesday during its Television Critics Association press tour presentation.

The Longoria-produced series, Versus, explores moments of inspiration when the world of sports transcended the action on the field, said network executives. Longoria will direct the series’ first short Go, Sebastian, Go!, which will profile nine year old singer Sebastian de la Cruz, who was the target of hateful comments after singing the national anthem in a mariachi charro suit during Game 3 of the 2013 NBA Finals.

A second short, Queen Vee, will profile Violet ‘Vee’ Palmer, the first female referee in the NBA.

ESPN Films has also partnered with Marvel Entertainment to create a short film series and a full-length documentary that connects super heroes with great athletes, said network officials.

The 1 of 1 – Origins short film series will launch this summer on SportsCenter and across ESPN’s digital platforms simultaneously and will focus on a single athlete who has a defining story of the origin of their powers in the sports world, said network officials.

A full length documentary, 1 of 1 – Genesis currently available on Digital HD through select digital retailers, explores the connections between Marvel Super Heroes and today’s athletes.

Finally, ESPN announced it will launch in February a Friday Night Movie Night segment within its 6 p.m. SportsCenter telecast featuring a short film from one of ESPN Films’ popular documentary series. The first short will debut Feb. 6 with the Spike Lee-produced film Ray Allen/AKA-Jesus Shuttlesworth, said network officials.

The series is the first of several movies from Spike Lee’s Lil’ Joints, which showcases narratives revolving around African-American stories that are not widely known.

"We’re thrilled to provide a showcase for these fantastic films, and we’re confident that fans will be dazzled by the ingenuity and insight in every story," said Rob King, Senior VP, SportsCenter and News.

ESPN has announced the films for the 2014 slate, making this the fifth anniversary of 30 for 30. Beginning on October 7th, the six-week films will air on Tuesday nights.

The films will start with Playing for the Mob, narrated by Ray Liotta, which tells the story of mobster Henry Hill and his involvement with the Boston College basketball games scandals.

"The new slate takes a look at events and people that may be familiar to viewers, but our intent is to provide a totally different perspective through the visions of our various filmmakers,” said Connor Schell, vice president and executive producer of ESPN Films and Original Programming.

Other topics covered include, the 1989 San Francisco earthquake, the story of former Oklahoma linebacker Brian Bosworth and how half-brothers, Livan and Orlando Hernandez became the major league pitchers they are today. Brothers in Exile will premier November 4th.

The films will also delve into the University of Miami program in the 1980’s. “The U Part 2” will be the first 30 for 30 sequel, debuting in December. Directed by Billy Corben and hitting on the NCAA sanctions and scandals, this film was ESPN’s most-viewed films in history. 

30 for 30 films will run as follows:

Oct. 7, 9 p.m. – “Playing for the Mob”

Oct. 14, 10 p.m. – “The Day The Series Stopped”

Oct. 21, 9 p.m. – “When The Garden Was Eden”

Oct. 28, 9 p.m. – “Brian and The Boz”

Nov. 4, 9 p.m. – “Brothers in Exile”

Nov. 11, 8 p.m. – “Rand University”

Dec. 13, 9 p.m. – “The U Part 2”

ESPN films will also release a 100-title “30 for 30 Fifth Anniversary Collection” on November 25th. This limited edition package will include the set of 30 for 30 films, Nine for IX, as well as Soccer Stories.