In a story that has all the makings of a fantastic April Fools’ joke but an even better real-life TV event, it appears as if two of the funniest people on the planet have teamed up for a project on one of the least self-aware networks on the dial. Will Ferrell and Kristen Wiig have secretly filmed a dramatic thriller for Lifetime that will keep its tongue firmly in-cheek while paying homage to the network’s 25-year history in the original movie-making business. You may have to wear earplugs to block out my squeals of delight.
The title of this magnificent beast is A Deadly Adoption, and it stars Ferrell and Wiig as a married couple who are successful in life, but apparently not in trying to have a child. That’s where 90210 actress Jessica Lowndes comes in, as she’ll play a pregnant woman living with the couple, who hope to adopt the child whenever it is born. And as you might have imagined, this is where things get sticky. Perhaps a bad word choice there.
According to THR, the film is being described as “campy and fun and a contemporary wink at the genre,” which is basically all I ever want from Lifetime movies these days, and so rarely get. A Deadly Adoption should feel right at home in a Lifetime movie library that also features films with titles like A Face to Die For, The Party Never Stops: Diary of a Binge Drinker and Baby for Sale.
The film was written by former SNL writer Andrew Steele, who wrote the amazing miniseries spoof The Spoils of Babylon for IFC last year, which starred both Ferrell and Wiig. So we can probably expect the tone to be perfect. Directing will be Rachel Goldenberg, who won an Emmy as a producer on the Between Two Ferns episode with Barack Obama. She’s got a slew of shorts under her belt, as well as an episode of Z Nation and the TV movie Escape from Polygamy. Will Ferrell and Adam McKay’s Gary Sanchez Productions is executive producing.
Though the network hasn’t strayed far from overly dramatic films and small-time biopics, Lifetime has really opened up the doors on the kinds of projects they’ll bring to viewers. Not only did they make a holiday Grumpy Cat movie, but they’re gearing up for a series version of Clan of the Cave Bear, a sequel to The Omen called Damien, and a Lizzie Borden series. Hopefully A Deadly Adoption is the first of many secret, slightly comedic projects the network has lined up.
Though there isn’t a release date set in stone just yet, A Deadly Adoption will probably hit Lifetime at some point in the early summer. I foresee viewing parties happening all over the country, and a lot of spiked lemonade involved.
