Martina Navratilova-Chris Evert Documentary In Works From EverWonder Studio – Deadline

EXCLUSIVE: EverWonder Studio is teaming with John Skipper’s Meadowlark Media on its first venture, a feature-length documentary inspecting the dynamic relationship between tennis legends Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova, which it is going to finance and co-produce.

The groups have additionally secured rights for a future scripted adaptation of the story, Deadline can completely reveal.

“I’m thrilled that this venture is transferring ahead, and that we’ve discovered the correct companions in EverWonder and Meadowlark,” said Evert. “I’m wanting ahead to sharing our story with international audiences – not simply with tennis followers however with anybody who appreciates an inspirational journey via rivalry and to mutual respect and friendship.”

Stated Navratilova, “This movie has been a long time within the making, and EverWonder and Meadowlark are the correct studios to lastly take it from an idea to a actuality. It was necessary to us to work with storytellers who will honor the true energy of our lives and careers collectively and inform our story in the correct manner.”

With their as-yet-untitled doc, EverWonder and Meadowlark promise to shed new mild on the connection between Evert and Navratilova, together with via never-before-seen footage. Their story underlines the significance of friendship when battling one among life’s best adversities. What begins as one of many nice rivalries in sports activities historical past over time turns into an unbreakable bond of friendship and solidarity.

Whereas Navratilova gained extra whole matches and Grand Slams by the point each retired, the pair collectively dominated the ladies’s tennis scene from the Seventies via the ’80s. Among the many extra notable moments of their joint historical past was the French Open girls’s doubles title that they teamed as much as declare in 1975, their competitors in opposition to each other within the 1985 French Open remaining, which is taken into account one of many best girls’s tennis matches of all time, and Navratilova’s introduction of Evert to her second husband Andy Mill, with whom she had three youngsters earlier than divorcing in 2006. Evert was inducted into the Worldwide Tennis Corridor of Fame in 1995, with Navratilova becoming a member of 5 years later. The duo’s story has beforehand been examined within the ESPN doc Unmatched, Johnette Howard’s guide The Rivals, and elsewhere.

Government producers on the forthcoming Evert-Navratilova doc embody Jeff Zucker of RedBird IMI, Ian Orefice, John Skipper, Deirdre Fenton, Jon Wertheim, Mary Greenham (NewsPresenters Media) and Lawrence Frankopan (StarWing Sports activities).

“It’s an honor that after a really aggressive course of, Chris and Martina have chosen EverWonder as their storytelling associate together with Meadowlark Media,” stated EverWonder Studio’s CEO, Orefice. “EverWonder was created to have a good time the world’s greatest tales and we’re thrilled to inform the story of one of many best rivalries – and friendships – in sports activities historical past. Their journey has already impressed so many, and we all know it is going to do the identical for brand new audiences all over the world.”

Remarked RedBird IMI CEO Zucker, “Chris and Martina’s story is strictly the kind of venture we launched EverWonder to inform – a never-before-seen take a look at one of many nice friendships and rivalries of our time. I do know that is the primary of many highly effective narratives EverWonder will convey to life, and I’m grateful to Chris and Martina for trusting us with their story.”

Added Meadlowlark Media’s Skipper, “Chris and Martina revolutionized the game of girls’s tennis. Their story has all the weather of an interesting, inspiring documentary, and we’re thrilled to convey it to the display screen in partnership with EverWonder.”

It was simply final month that Orefice launched the non-fiction content material studio EverWonder, with funding from RedBird IMI, the three way partnership led by former NBCUniversal and CNN boss Zucker. This got here after Orefice left his place as president and COO of Time and Time Studios. Trying forward, the corporate will give attention to financing, producing and distributing documentary content material for movie and TV, with the potential for a world impression, model extensions and the creation of latest IP additionally being prime of thoughts.

Based by former ESPN chief Skipper and radio and podcast host Dan Le Batard in 2021, Meadowlark is maybe greatest recognized for producing the soccer docuseries Good Rivals, on the rivalry between the U.S. and Mexico nationwide soccer groups, with Ocellated Media and Skydance Sports activities. The sports-focused firm final yr struck a first-look deal with Backstage Media for the event of audio and tv content material, having additionally been lively underneath an earlier first-look take care of Apple.