HBO Announces Barry Bonds Doc In Production

HBO is bringing Barry to the silver screen (not the Bil Hader show).

The famed cable network turned streamer (with a hundred names) is taking a stab at a Barry Bonds documentary ... because why not.

After all, Bonds was a player destined to be a beloved staple of MLB in the new millennium, only to have his legacy tarnished by steroid use. Now that's drama.

As reported by Deadline on Wednesday, HBO is spearheading production for a documentary centered on the former MLB slugger. New interviews with Bonds and archival footage of his highs and lows with the Pittsburgh Pirates and San Francisco Giants will be highlighted in the new doc.

HBO's press release on the new project read:

“The untitled HBO Sports Documentary will tell the story of Barry Bonds, baseball’s single-season and all-time home run king, from his beginnings as the son of All-Star Bobby Bonds, and godson of the iconic Willie Mays, all the way up to his meteoric rise in the 1990s and 2000s.

“Using archival footage and original interviews, the film will chronicle Bonds’ emergence as one of the game’s most talented all-around players with the Pittsburgh Pirates and San Francisco Giants and then his years as a superstar with the Giants when he rewrote the record book in his late 30s amid controversy.”

Bonds holds the all-time record for homers in MLB with 762 but remains out of the Hall of Fame because of his steroid use. In 2011, Bonds was found guilty of obstruction of justice in relation to a federal investigation related to the BALCO steroid controversy.

HBO's track record leads us to believe the Bonds doc should be a smash hit.

Coming off a weekend dominated by headlines about the "Succession" and "Barry" season finales, HBO just knows how to knock 'em out of the park.

Audiences can expect the grittiness and verité of Bonds' journey to shine in an HBO production. Despite the acclaim for ESPN's "The Last Dance" documentary about Michael Jordan's final season with the Chicago Bulls, the series was a bit of a puff piece for MJ. Several producers from "The Last Dance" are hopping on this project as executive producers, which is good news for the majority of audiences that still liked the ESPN doc.

In 2001, Bonds set the record for most single-season home runs by an MLB slugger at 73, a record that has only been challenged by Aaron Judge's 62 in 2022.

Will you be tuning in to the Bonds documentary? Does he deserve to go to the Hall of Fame?

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Alejandro Avila lives in Southern California and previously covered news for the LA Football Network. Jeopardy expert and grumpy sports fan. Known for having watched every movie and constant craving for dessert. @alejandroaveela (on X)