AField of Dreamsseries adaptation was in the works atPeacock, but that dream was dashed when the streamer announced they would not move forward with the series. Michael Schur, who was tied to the project as a writer and executive producer, recently revealed some details that hinted at the possibility of greatness had the reimagining transpired. During an appearance on thePablo Torre Finds Outpodcast, Schur shared that the series' cast would have included Kristen Bell, Andre Braugher, William Jackson Harper, and Nick Offerman (who recently appeared in Prime Video’s short-livedA League of Their Ownseries adaptation).
Schur has previously collaborated with these stars as he is the creator behind numerous series, including The Good Place(Bell and Harper),Parks and Recreation(Offerman),andBrooklyn Nine-Nine(Braugher).
“Andre Braugher was going to play James Earl Jones' role. Kristen Bell was going to be in it. Nick Offerman was going to be in it. [William Jackson] Harper, who played Chidi inThe Good Place, was going to be in it [too].”
The beloved original film starred Kevin Costner as Ray Kinsella, a farmer who builds a baseball diamond in his cornfield after he hears a mysterious voice say: “If you build it, he will come.” The field attracts the spirits of renowned baseball stars, including Shoeless Joe Jackson (portrayed by the late Ray Liotta).Field of Dreamsalso starredJames Earl Jones, Amy Madigan, and Burt Lancaster and earned three Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture.
Field of Dreams: Where the Cast Is Today
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Michael Schur Shares Details on William Jackson Harper’s Field of Dreams Character
While Schur gave no details on who Bell and Offerman would have portrayed, he did expand on Harper’s planned role:
“There’s a true story, that in 1945, under extreme pressure from the Boston city council… forced [Red Sox owner] Tom Yawkey’s hand into giving tryouts to Negro league players. His hand was forced, and he decided to give a tryout to three players — one of whom was Jackie Robinson. He came and he had a tryout on the field at Fenway, and the whole thing was for show. I told that story through the fictional lens of a player named Moonlight Williams, who was given this tryout and then basically told, ‘You’ll never be on this team. You’ll never make the majors.’ That was the fulcrum to the whole series, because it culminates in a big scene between Moonlight, which was going to be Will Harper’s character, and Tom Yawkey.”
In preparation for the series, Schur and one of the show’s producers (who is from Iowa) traveled to the state to construct a home and field resembling the ones from the film. Despite the groundwork completed,Peacock scrapped the projectin July 2022, less than a year after the show was ordered, citing financial issues.
“That’s the saddest part of this. We went as far as you can possibly go without actually doing the thing that we set out to do. We built it and they didn’t get the chance to show up.”
While the series may never happen, the originalField of Dreamsone of the most beloved movies on Costner’s catalog,and a special father-son film.
