Report: Will Ferrell to star in new “LIV-themed” TV comedy

Anchorman star Will Ferrell is set to take the lead in a brand-new TV golf comedy. 

According to Deadline, the 55-year-old is being lined up to appear in a show that focuses on a professional golfer who becomes the face of a controversial new circuit that competes with the more established tour.  

Sound familiar? 

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Whilst fictional, the premise for the show immediately calls to mind the furore caused by LIV Golf in the past 12 months. Question is, who will Ferrell’s character be based upon: Greg Norman or Phil Mickelson? 

This is by no means Ferrell’s first foray into the world of sport. In Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, he took on the world of NASCAR. Figure skating and basketball were also lampooned in Blades of Glory and Semi-Pro respectively.  

It would, however, be the first major television comedy series for the Californian, who shot to fame on Saturday Night Live.  

An avid golfer, Ferrell, hosted The Will Powered Golf Classic – a fundraising event for a US cancer charity – for several years. Last summer, he was spotted playing golf in County Kerry during a holiday in Ireland. 

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A winner of an Emmy award for his work on SNL, Ferrell has also been nominated for multiple Golden Globes and has lengthy portfolio of hit movies to his name, such as Elf, Zoolander and Step Brothers.  

Golf, it would seem, is ripe for the picking for TV execs right now. In addition to the Ferrell rumours, the sport was also the subject of a recent Netflix documentary, Full Swing. Launched in February, it was recently renewed for a second season.  

Michael McEwan is the Deputy Editor of bunkered and has been part of the team since 2004. In that time, he has interviewed almost every major figure within the sport, from Jack Nicklaus, to Rory McIlroy, to Donald Trump. The host of the multi award-winning bunkered Podcast and a member of Balfron Golfing Society, Michael is the author of three books and is the 2023 PPA Scotland 'Writer of the Year' and 'Columnist of the Year'. Dislikes white belts, yellow balls and iron headcovers. Likes being drawn out of the media ballot to play Augusta National.

Deputy Editor