Daddy Ball: Everything We Know About Jason Bateman's Dark Comedy For Netflix
For those of us of the millennial persuasion, Jason Bateman has been a staple of popular media since birth. The former child actor who got his start in walk-on parts in shows like "Little House on the Prarie" and "Knight Rider" has become one of the most familiar faces and reliable talents in Hollywood. From "Arrested Development" and "Ozark" to "Game Night" and "Juno," nobody plays a regular guy having regular reactions to non-regular things like Bateman.
Now in the fifth decade of his career, Bateman's star is arguably brighter than it's ever been. Fresh off the well-received finale of "Ozark," which /Film's own Joshua Meyer called "black-hearted yet impactful," Bateman looks toward an exciting next couple of years with a slew of intriguing-looking projects in the works.
One to keep your eye on in particular is "Daddy Ball," an eight-part limited series that Netflix recently secured the rights for in an apparently highly competitive bidding war. "Daddy Ball" is still very much in its pre-production phase, but there's already a lot to marvel over. Let's dig in.
Who is the Daddy and what is his Ball?
"Daddy Ball" is based on a story that ran in the Summer 2021 issue of Esquire. Written by David Gauvey Herbert, "Daddy Ball" chronicles an epic feud that broke out between two Long Island tee-ball dads that reached a climax so violent it made regional headlines. In one corner is Bobby Sanfilippo, a Brooklyn-born bruiser with a yet-to-be-uncovered criminal history, whose wealthy lifestyle still can't knock the chip off his shoulder. In the other is John "Jack" Reardon, a former baseball prodigy whose life was derailed by his involvement in a Southern California Ponzi scheme. In what sounds like a Long Island version of Netflix's dark comedy from earlier this year, "Beef," the two men come head-to-head in a clash that eventually leads to allegations of stalking, threats, mob connections, and an unwarranted arrest.
Deadline reports that Bateman is set to star in the series, which he also plans to direct. Presumably, Bateman will play one of the dads. It's hard to say who from reading Herbert's story, given Bateman doesn't exactly match Reardon's physical description ("John Reardon was built like a fullback"), but neither is it easy to picture him as the tough-talking son of a mob-connected Brooklyn bar owner. Then again, Bateman and crew will likely take creative liberties in adapting "Daddy Ball. And through the prestidigitation of acting, Batemen could surely convince us as either aggrieved father.
Who's on the Daddy Ball team?
While we don't have any casting announcements aside from Bateman's, there is a full roster of talent on deck to direct, write, and produce "Daddy Ball."
Bateman is on board to direct the entire eight-part series. Though he's primarily known for his acting, Batemen is also comfortable behind the camera. He's been directing episodes of television on and off since 1990 when, at only 21, he directed a few episodes of "The Hogan Family," which he also starred in. Since then, he's directed the films "Bad Words" and "The Family Fang" as well as episodes of "Arrested Development," "Ozark," and "The Outsider" (the latter two he also executive produced). Bateman has been racking up producer credits in a big way since 2022, including on the Andrew Garfield Hulu series "Under the Banner of Heaven" and the Kaley Cuoco/Chris Messina two-hander "Based on a True Story."
He'll also co-executive produce "Daddy Ball" alongside Michael Costigan and Roxie Rodriguez for Aggregate Films. Joining them are David Gauvey Herbert, writer of the original story, and David Klawans, one of the Oscar-winning producers behind "Argo." Costigan is behind some of the most interesting studio films of the last twenty years, including Korean horror maestro Park Chan-wook's English language debut "Stoker," and Luca Guadagnino's "A Bigger Splash."
The hottest commodity attached to "Daddy Ball," aside from Bateman himself, has to be Herbert, who currently has three pieces of writing in development: "The Ballad of Ron & Dorinda" is set up at MRC; Boss of the Beach has been acquired by Searchlight TV; and Camp Shane is at ABC. If you're a fan of feuds, angry men, or extremely small-scale sports drama, keep "Daddy Ball" on your radar. We'll keep it on ours and update you on any news that develops.