The moment has arrived, dear friends: Will Ferrell and Kristen Wiig's Lifetime movie, A Deadly Adoption, is premiering on Lifetime on Saturday, June 20 at 8 p.m. While anyone who is a fan of hilarious comedy and Lifetime dramas is jumping up and down for joy, how did A Deadly Adoption happen? While I think it goes without saying why mega comedy stars Ferrell and Wiig would want to do a Lifetime movie (uh, who wouldn't?), the female-driven network is showing its ability to laugh at itself by airing A Deadly Adoption.
The cable network and the former Saturday Night Live stars have been keeping pretty mum about the whole project. Yet, Ferrell released a statement to Entertainment Weekly when the movie was allegedly canceled after the news of it existing had been leaked online.
We are deeply disappointed that our planned top secret project was made public. Kristen and I have decided it is in the best interest for everyone to forego the project entirely, and we thank Lifetime and all the people who were ready to help up make this film.
Lifetime even responded at the time of the "cancelation" by saying, "We are disappointed that our secret project with Will and Kristen was leaked and the network is determining the fate of the movie." But since this "secret project" is now finished and ready for its grand debut, I'm pretty sure Ferrell & co. were messing with the entertainment world's expectations once again.
From the above official trailer of A Deadly Adoption, Ferrell and Wiig appear to be playing the Lifetime drama that is "inspired by a true story" straight, and thus the comedy will come from the super seriousness of it all. (I'm also guessing that whole "true story" thing is as legit as Ferrell and Wiig quitting the movie.) When The Hollywood Reporter initially reported that the Wiig and Ferrell were doing a Lifetime movie back in April, they wrote that, "Ferrell, as it turns out, is a huge fan of the Lifetime movies and always has wanted to make one himself." Clearly, Ferrell understands the inherent hilarity of Lifetime movies and has decided to tackle one himself with his buddy Wiig. Who could blame the comedy superstars?
Lifetime, on the other hand, seems to have agreed to partner with Ferrell and Wiig in celebration of the network's 25-year anniversary of making Lifetime original movies. Entertainment Weekly described A Deadly Adoption as "The flick is not considered a parody but rather a 'high-stakes dramatic thriller' with a knowing wink at the type of TV movies that the network is famous for."
Now, before you worry that Ferrell and Wiig's Lifetime collaboration will not be humorous enough for you, it's important to note that Andrew Steele, who co-created IFC’s The Spoils of Babylon, wrote the film. I was actually slightly disappointed in how normal the trailer made A Deadly Adoption look, but I'm thinking this could yet again be another one of Ferrell's ploys. He's luring us into thinking it's just another Lifetime movie about domestic bliss gone wrong when a pregnant young woman enters the scene. But either something super ridiculous will happen in the film, or the earnestness of Ferrell and Wiig will push it over the edge. Plus, if writer Steeler injected at least an iota of the campiness and wackiness that The Spoils of Babylon had, this Lifetime movie is sure to be treat.
My faith in the funniness of A Deadly Adoption doesn't stop with the writer though. Will Ferrell and his comedy partner Adam McKay are producers of the Lifetime film. Not only are McKay and Ferrell part of Gary Sanchez Productions and created Funny Or Die, they've also worked on Step Brothers, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, and Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy together. It's hard for me to even imagine being disappointed with a Ferrell-McKay produced Lifetime movie.
Hopefully all of the mysteries behind the scenes of A Deadly Adoption will be revealed after the movie airs on June 20.
Images: Lifetime; Giphy (3)