CHICAGO — The ivy will finally meet the silver screen. In a stunning deal that’s already sending shockwaves through both Hollywood and the baseball world, Netflix has agreed to pay $13.5 million for an original film based on the legendary Chicago Cubs — a cinematic love letter titled “Wrigley: Heart of Darkness.”
The project, developed under the guidance of Cubs owner Craig Counsell and a team of veteran producers from “Moneyball” and “The Sandlot,” is set to explore not just baseball, but the emotional, spiritual bond between Wrigley Field and the American heartland.
“This isn’t just about home runs and heartbreaks,” Counsell said in a statement early Sunday. “It’s about generations. About fathers and sons. About the people who never gave up on the North Side.”
The film, now in pre-production, is expected to mix real footage, dramatized scenes, and archival interviews from past Cubs legends including Andre Dawson, Ryne Sandberg, and Kris Bryant, capturing the 108-year journey from cursed hope to the 2016 redemption that made history.
According to sources close to Netflix, the streaming giant sees the project as “the most emotionally powerful baseball story ever told.” It aims to blend the nostalgic tones of Field of Dreams with the grit of The Last Dance — all wrapped around the living, breathing soul that is Wrigley Field, one of America’s oldest sports cathedrals.
Production is scheduled to begin in early 2026, with filming taking place both in Chicago and rural Iowa, where parts of the Cubs’ fan folklore originated. The screenplay reportedly opens with a haunting scene: a father and son sitting in the Wrigley bleachers at sunset, listening to Harry Caray’s ghostly voice whisper through the stadium speakers.
“It’s a story of faith,” said screenwriter Lucas Wright, known for Remembering 108. “You can’t write about the Cubs without writing about the country itself — its pain, its persistence, and its poetry.”
Beyond the nostalgia, Netflix plans to explore the darker undertones of the Cubs’ history: the Billy Goat Curse, the heartbreaks of 1969 and 2003, and the invisible weight that haunted generations of fans. Yet, at its core, Wrigley: Heart of Darkness is a film about love — for the game, for the city, and for each other.
The project’s budget — modest by Hollywood standards — is seen as a symbol of respect rather than spectacle. Counsell reportedly insisted that “every dollar should go back into telling the truth of the story — not glamorizing it.”
The expected release window is late 2026, just ahead of the 10-year anniversary of the Cubs’ 2016 World Series triumph — a timing that feels almost poetic.
Fans have already taken to social media, flooding X and Instagram with emotional reactions. One viral post read:
“If you ever cried when the Cubs finally won, this movie’s for you. Wrigley isn’t just a ballpark — it’s America’s heartbeat.”
As Netflix prepares to immortalize the ivy-covered walls and long summer nights of the North Side, one thing is clear: the Cubs’ story will finally live forever, not just in scorebooks, but in cinema.
And as Craig Counsell quietly said while leaving Wrigley Field this morning, gazing up at the marquee glowing in red —
“It’s not just a movie. It’s a confession. Of love, of loss, and of what it means to believe.”
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