Back in March, you may have seen the photos and video of Will Ferrell joining several major league baseball teams as part of an upcoming comedy special he was filming. That special now has a title, a teaser, and a broadcast date, so fans of baseball and comedy alike can mark their calendars.
Titled Ferrell Takes the Field, the special follows the popular Anchorman and Blades of Glory actor to five different baseball fields over the course of a single day in which he played every position on the field for ten different MLB teams. The idea for the special originated with the story of Bert Campaneris, who became the first MLB player to play every position in a major league game in September 1965.
50 years later, Ferrell is hoping to replicate that performance while also generating some financial support for a good cause.
Ferrell Takes the Field will air in September on HBO, and will benefit the charity Cancer For College, which helps individuals affected by cancer to receive a college education. The charity was formed in 1993.
Filmed on March 12, the special is a joint production of Ferrell’s Gary Sanchez Productions and Funny Or Die, along with Major League Baseball and HBO. Brian McGinn, who directed a long list of shorts for Ferrell’s Funny or Die comedy hub, directed.
“We hope to always be in the Will Ferrell business,” said Michael Lombardo, the president of HBO Programming, in a statement accompanying the trailer’s debut. “This latest collaboration is one of those things only Will could pull off.”
Ferrell Takes the Field airs Saturday, September 12, at 10:00pm ET on HBO.
Will Ferrell’s next big-screen project is the upcoming comedy Daddy’s Home, which reunites him with his The Other Guys co-star, Mark Wahlberg. That film hits theaters December 25.
