MLB, Imagine Entertainment team up to bring 'stories to life'

Major League Baseball on Wednesday entered into a multiyear partnership with Imagine Entertainment, a production company founded by director Ron Howard and producer Brian Grazer, to develop and produce projects that will cover captivating subjects around the game today and also explore the most interesting stories and personalities from baseball’s rich history.

“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 Howard. “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 first project in the collaboration between MLB and Imagine will be a documentary centered around the 2023 World Series, promising to take a deep dive into the narratives, both on and off the field, surrounding the preeminent event on the baseball calendar.

The project will feature award-winning filmmaker R.J. Cutler, who previously partnered with Imagine on the MGM+ true crime docuseries, “Murf the Surf: Jewels, Jesus and Mayhem in the USA.”

Howard and Grazer founded Imagine in 1985, and the company has produced more than 150 projects across a wide variety of genres. Feature films “Blue Crush,” “Friday Night Lights” and “Rush,” the documentary “The Day Sports Stood Still” and the Apple TV+ drama “Swagger” are among the Imagine properties rooted in the sports world.

“Collaborating with Ron Howard and Imagine is a dream come true,” said Noah Garden, MLB’s chief revenue officer. “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.”