[Update: Ferrell now says in a statement to EW that, due to the leak of the project, he and Wiig are no longer moving forward with the film. THR's report says it's already been shot, so if that's the case I'd be shocked if Lifetime just scuttled the entire thing. It's possible production hadn't begun yet and they've opted to move on, but even with Ferrell's statement, I wouldn't be surprised if this finished film randomly premiered on Lifetime sometime this year. I imagine the plan was for it to just show up out of the blue all along. We'll see. Our original story follows below.]
Will Ferrell and Kristen Wiig are toplining a Lifetime movie. No, that’s not a typo. And no, it’s not an April Fools’ joke either. In fact, they already shot the film. THR reports that the duo teamed up to star in a secret Lifetime movie called A Deadly Adoption, which is described as a campy and fun wink at the Lifetime movie genre that will likely premiere on the network in early summer, just in time for its 25th anniversary.
The dramatic thriller finds Ferrell and Wiig playing a successful couple who house and care for a pregnant woman (Jessica Lowndes) in the hope of adopting her unborn child. Obviously, things go awry. The two-hour film was directed by Rachel Lee Goldenberg (Escape from Polygamy) from a script by Andrew Steele, who also wrote the Ferrell/Wiig-starring IFC miniseries The Spoils of Babylon.
Ferrell is apparently a fan of Lifetime movies and has always wanted to make one, and he executive produced A Deadly Adoption alongside Adam McKay. This sounds like a fantastic idea executed perfectly, and it brings to mind Wiig’s brief but excellent work in the 30 Rock Lifetime movie parody The Celeste Cunningham Story.
Wiig is currently gearing up to shoot Ghostbusters this summer, reuniting with her Bridesmaids director Paul Feig, and she’ll be seen this year in the heist comedy Masterminds with Zach Galifianakis and Ridley Scott’s sci-fi film The Martian, as well as the Netflix miniseries Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp. Ferrell, meanwhile, is currently shooting the comedy Daddy’s Home opposite Mark Wahlberg.
