On Wednesday, Variety reported that MLB and Imagine Entertainment had signed a content deal. MLB’s agreement with Imagine “will yield multiple scripted and unscripted projects” over its life, and MLB will participate through its MLB Studios arm.
Imagine, founded and owned by Ron Howard and Brian Glazer, has helped produce numerous film and TV projects over the years. In the sports sphere, that includes shows like Sports Night, unscripted films like Beyond the Mat, Pelé: Birth of a Legend, and The Day Sports Stood Still, and both the film and TV adaptations of Friday Night Lights.
The first project will come after this fall’s World Series, with RJ Cutler directing “a deep dive into all of the intersecting narratives, on and off the field, that surround the high stakes climax of America’s national pastime.” That sounds a lot like MLB’s annual World Series film to me.
Howard talked up his baseball fandom when discussing the deal.
“I’ve always been drawn to the drama, high stakes, and emotion of baseball ever since I was kid in the bleachers of Dodger Stadium,” Oscar winner Howard told Variety. “These also happen to be the very same elements that make for a great movie or television show, which is why Brian, Imagine and I are so excited to be teaming up with Major League Baseball to bring more of their stories to life.”
[Variety]
