Variety is reporting that Will Ferrell will be taking a bit of a departure from comedy to headline Match Maker, a tennis drama about the 1973 Battles of the Sexes tennis match between Bobby Riggs and Billie Jean King. No director has been set just yet but The Secret Life of Walter Mitty scribe Steven Conrad is on board to pen the screenplay (based on the ESPN article, “The Match Maker: Bobby Riggs, the Mafia and the Battle of the Sexes”), which will focus on the iconic sporting event that was watched by nearly 50 million Americans. It should also be noted that this project is different than the one that Danny Boyle is working on.
Though entering the world of sports may seem like an odd move for Ferrell, it actually makes sense to see him boarding Match Maker. Not only is he an avid tennis player, but he’s dabbled in the genre before with efforts like Semi-Pro and Blades of Glory, among others. Those films were straight-up comedies though, so it will be interesting to see what type of tone this one goes for. It sounds like it will be a drama but with Ferrell’s involvement, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a bit of humor sprinkled in as well.
Tell us, are you surprised to see Will Ferrell joining a film like Match Maker? Do you think it’s a good move for the actor, or would you prefer to see him stick with only comedies?
