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One of baseball’s greatest players will be the subject of an HBO documentary debuting in November.
The premium cabler has set a Nov. 8 airdate for Say Hey, Willie Mays!, a feature documentary tracing Mays’ life and Hall of Fame career. The film, directed by author and filmmaker Nelson George (The Announcement, A Ballerina’s Tale), will have its world premiere Oct. 27 at the UrbanWorld Film Festival in New York — a day before the 2022 World Series begins.
HBO’s announcement of the premiere date coincides with the 68th anniversary of perhaps Mays’ most famous moment on the diamond: The Catch, an astounding, over-the-shoulder chasedown of a deep fly ball in game one of the 1954 World Series.
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“Over the years, the fans have given me so much joy, and I am excited to express my thanks again through this wonderful documentary and its telling of the story of my career and life,” the 91-year-old Mays said in a statement. “I have worked hard and been fortunate to do many amazing things over the course of my life, and I am excited and proud that the people who see this film, including younger fans who never saw me play, will have the chance to relive this great journey with me and have a few laughs along the way. Watching this documentary brought a proud and grateful smile to my face, and I hope everyone else enjoys it too.”
Say Hey, Willie Mays! will follow Mays through the start of his career in the Negro Leagues, his signing with the New York Giants and his move with the Giants to the West Coast during the civil rights movement. The film will also, per its synopsis, “follow Mays’ life both on and off the field over five decades as he navigated the American sports landscape and the country’s ever-evolving cultural backdrop, all while helping to define what it means to be one of America’s first Black sports superstars.”
“It’s been one of the highlights of my life to get to talk with and document the life of Willie Mays, perhaps baseball’s greatest player and certainly its most charismatic personality,” said George. “Not only was he a staple on the baseball Game of the Week, but crossed over into talk shows and nighttime entertainment when Black faces were rare. The film is very much a tale of mentorship. Willie was schooled in life and baseball by his father Cat and Negro League players. Later Willie looked out for scores of young Black players including his godson Barry Bonds. An epic American life.”
The documentary will feature interviews with Mays, his son Michael, Bonds, legendary broadcaster Vin Scully, Jon Miller, Bob Costas and biographer John Shea.
The film is a Company Name production in association with Uninterrupted, Zipper Bros Films and Major League Baseball. Colin Hanks, Sean Stuart and Glen Zipper produce; executive producers LeBron James, Maverick Carter, Jamal Henderson and Philip Byron for Uninterrupted; Nick Trotta for Major League Baseball; and Nancy Abraham, Lisa Heller and Bentley Weiner for HBO.
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