Ozark star Jason Bateman returns to Netflix with Daddy Ball limited series

Ozark might be over, but Jason Bateman isn’t done with Netflix just yet. Bateman will star in and direct a new series, tentatively called Daddy Ball, based on David Gauvey Herbert’s Esquire article from 2021, Deadline reports.

Apparently, the project was a hot commodity as there were multiple offers on the table for the series, but Netflix won the bidding war with an undisclosed amount. Daddy Ball is described as a darkly comedic limited series in the vein of Netflix’s recent hit show Beef, which centered on a road rage incident that escalated into a full-on feud between two people played by Steven Yeun and Ali Wong.

What is Daddy Ball about?

Based on Herbert’s article, Daddy Ball follows the fabled dad-on-dad rivalry that took place in 2012 in Long Island as part of a Little League Baseball team. Two small-time criminal fathers, John Reardon and Bobby Sanfilippo, got embroiled in a rivalry that escalated into allegations of stalking, threatening text messages, mob involvement, and more. At its core, Daddy Ball is about how far fathers will go for their sons, and, as expected, things get way out of hand.

When could Daddy Ball be released?

It’s unclear if the script for the show has actually been written yet. For now, it sounds like Netflix bid on the concept, but the show is still in development. Given the ongoing WGA strike, it’s unlikely the show will start production anytime soon. If things move along sooner than later, there is a chance we could see it by the end of 2024. However, a 2025-2026 release date seems more likely, especially since Netflix is probably going to want to release the show in time for an Emmy campaign.

Daddy Ball casting details

There are no casting details for the series beyond the fact that Jason Bateman will star. It’s unclear which role he’ll play, but based on the plot details, we can assume he’ll be one of the two fathers at the center of the rivalry, probably John Reardon.

Stay tuned to Netflix Life for more details on Daddy Ball and Jason Bateman’s latest Netflix projects.