MOVIES
Major League Baseball set to bring more stories to life with Imagine Entertainment deal
The deal will mean multiple projects covering the stories of baseball players and teams.
Major League Baseball and Imagine Entertainment are partnering up to create a number of projects, both scripted and unscripted, in both film and television formats.
The deal will bring to life the stories behind some of the MLB’s most memorable players and events, covering the cultural and historical significance of the game of baseball.
An exciting partnership for MLB and Imagine
“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,” said Ron Howard, who, along with Brian Grazer, founded Imagine Entertainment in 1985.
“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,” the actor and director added.
In the almost four decades since Imagine was founded, the production company has gone on to produce a number of successful movies and TV shows, including ‘A Beautiful Mind’, ‘Blue Crush’, ‘8 Mile’, and ‘Arrested Development’.
The company has received over 60 awards, including 10 Academy Awards and 40 Emmy Awards.
“Collaborating with Ron Howard and Imagine is a dream come true,” Noah Garden, MLB’s Chief Revenue Officer expressed in a statement, adding:
“The opportunities that come with two premier global media companies partnering are limitless. Couple that with Ron’s passionate and vocal fandom for the game of baseball, and we know we have a framework to produce unmatched content for fans to enjoy across a collection of platforms.”
Movies, documentaries, and series set in the world of baseball
MLB, through its MLB Studios, has created a number of original content set in the world of professional baseball, including ‘Once Upon a Time in Queens’ in 2013 and ‘The Captain’, about former New York Yankees captain Derek Jeter, in 2022. Both aired on ESPN.
Last year, ‘Say Hey, Willie Mays!’, about the legendary center fielder, aired on HBO. ‘After Jackie’, set in the 1960s, tells the story of the talented Black players who came after Jackie Robinson, and aired on the History Channel also last year.
And of course, aside from their own productions, a number of movies that revolve around baseball have captured the hearts of audiences, including ‘Field of Dreams’ in 1989, starring Kevin Costner, and ‘A League of Their Own’ in 1992 with Tom Hanks, Geena Davis, and Madonna.