'Last Dance' producers making Barry Bonds documentary at HBO

The MLB’s career home run and walks leader, Barry Bonds, is getting his own documentary in the vein of the ESPN/Netflix show The Last Dance, which used 10 hour-long episodes and a load of archived footage to chronicle the life and basketball career of Michael Jordan. Here was the report that the new Bonds project is in the works, as provided by Front Office Sports:

“HBO is producing a documentary on Barry Bonds, baseball’s home run king whose historic performances throughout the 1990s and 2000s became marred by steroid controversies. The untitled film is being directed by Keith McQuirter (By Whatever Means Necessary: The Times of Godfather of Harlem) and executive produced by Oscar winner Ezra Edelman (O.J.: Made in America).

“Archived footage and original interviews will be used in the Bonds film to chronicle his beginning as the son of MLB All-Star Bobby Bonds and godson of Willie Mays to his early-career stardom with the Pittsburgh Pirates and record-breaking years with the San Francisco Giants.”

Sounds pretty neat. FOS then added that some of the producers on board for the Bonds documentary also helped bring to life The Last Dance.

“Also serving as executive producers on the Bonds doc are Connor Schell and Libby Geist, creators of ESPN’s 30 for 30 series and executive producers of The Last Dance docuseries on Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. Schell and Geist are now at the production studio Words+Pictures, which is partnering with HBO on the Bonds project.”

The report also provided a detailed description of the vision for the show from director Keith McQuirter.

“Through a series of interviews, we will illuminate the untold story of Bonds, providing an intimate look behind the scenes,” says McQuirter. “It will all add up to a complex journey that was one of the most enduring and consequential tales in American sports history – a tale I can’t wait to tell.”

He added:

“The filmmakers will include a diverse cast of influential figures from Barry Bonds’ life and career, and the opportunity for Bonds to participate and share his firsthand experiences actively remains available.”

However, the report does note that Barry Bonds himself doesn’t seem to be signed on to the project just yet, so there’s still one big shoe left to drop before this thing takes off. But if Bonds agrees to interview like Jordan did for his doc, this could be the ultimate player documentary for baseball fans.