The Will Ferrell-Kristen Wiig Lifetime movie is real. It will air on Saturday, June 20th, which is also the longest day of the year. I can tell you exclusively that its original title was “Adopting Tara.” In Lifetime tradition, it’s been renamed “A Deadly Adoption.” A source tells me it was filmed last fall. “It was very hush hush. No one knew they were doing it.”
The back story was that while making “Anchorman 2,” Ferrell and Wiig joked about making a Lifetime movie as a joke. A goof, if you will. And it turned into something real. The date– June 20– has nothing to do with Lifetime’s anniversary.
Last night, a Hollywood Reporter writer spotted a billboard for the movie that also read “Sunday June 20.” Of course, it turns out the 20th is a Saturday. Would Lifetime really put up a billboard for the wrong date? No. It was done on purpose as part of the joke.
“A Deadly Adoption” is described as a thriller by Lifetime. It’s not exactly a satire of Lifetime movies, but I’m told the performances are “very intense.” The pictures on the billboard of Ferrell and Wiig actually look like a parody. If you’ve seen either of these actors on Jimmy Fallon or Letterman you know they can come on as inventions and never break character. This should be something.