Brian Grazer and Ron Howard’s Imagine Entertainment Inks Multiyear Deal With Major League Baseball

Brian Grazer and Ron Howard’s Imagine Entertainment has entered into a strategic partnership with Major League Baseball to create scripted and non-scripted film and television properties.

Under the terms of the multiyear deal, Imagine and MLB will collaborate to develop and produce projects rooted in stories and personalities throughout the league’s robust 150-year history. The partnership will produce programming that taps the expansive MLB film and video archive to cover historical and cultural subjects while leveraging access granted by the league to also profile the captivating storylines around the game today.

“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,” Howard said in a statement. “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.”

Also Read:
Tony Shalhoub Says COVID-19 Inspired ‘Monk’ Movie on Peacock

The first project under the deal will be a documentary on the 2023 World Series produced by award-wining filmmaker R.J. Cutler (“Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry,” “The September Issue”) and his This Machine production company, which will take a deep dive into the intersecting narratives, on and off the field, that surround the high stakes climax of America’s national pastime.

Imagine and Cutler most recently partnered on the MGM+ true crime docuseries, “Murf the Surf: Jewels, Jesus and Mayhem in the USA” which tells the story of one of the most complicated and notorious American crime figures ever, Jack Roland Murphy, who became America’s very first true crime television superstar in 1964, a mere few months after the assassination of John F. Kennedy.

From “Blue Crush” to “Friday Night Lights” to “Rush” to the documentary “The Day Sports Stood Still” to the upcoming second season of “Swagger,” Imagine has a rich history in telling stories rooted in sports. Over the last five years, Imagine has strategically expanded into an independent content studio with targeted acquisitions, partnerships, and new divisions, including an exclusive first look strategic partnership with The Washington Post in 2022 and with Warner Music Group in 2020, to co-produce a slate of projects across all mediums.

Also Read:
‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Casts ‘Bold Type’ Star Sam Page in Recurring Role as Injured Pilot

Major League Baseball represents the highest level of professional baseball and is the most historic sports league in the United States. Through its MLB Studios label, the League creates, produces and consults on original content with multi-platform media and licensing projects that span film, television, audio networks and digital distribution.

Recent credits include the critically acclaimed multi-part documentary films “Once Upon a Time in Queens” and “The Captain” on ESPN, “Say Hey, Willie Mays!” on HBO/HBO Max and “After Jackie,” a civil rights story set in 1960’s baseball, on History. ESPN Films recently announced an eight-part documentary series, “The Yankees Win,” produced in partnership with MLB Studios.

“Collaborating with Ron Howard and Imagine is a dream come true,” Major League Baseball Chief Revenue Officer Noah Garden added. “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.”

Also Read:
Why the WWE-UFC Deal Is a Winner – and Could Fuel More Merger Mania | Analysis