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It’s been two decades since the Montreal Expos left Canada to become the Washington Nationals, and now the former MLB franchise will be in the spotlight.
By Variety‘s Amber DowlingNetflix has picked up an untitled documentary that will explore the events surrounding the Montreal Expos’ exit in 2004.
The documentary will be directed by Jean-François Poisson and is the first to be greenlit under Netflix’s new creative partnership with a Montreal-based production company. AttractionMarie-Christine Pouliot, Attraction’s chief documentary producer, and Richard Speer, Attraction’s president, will serve as executive producers.
“It is with great pride and excitement that Attraction announces the first project to come out of our partnership with Netflix,” Speers said in a statement. “The Expos were the first MLB team outside of the United States and, despite moving from Montreal, continue to have a passionate fan base to this day. This film will tell the team’s story through the eyes of those who lived it.”
The loss of the Expos, who officially became the Nationals in 2005, is still debated 20 years after the story ended.
Netflix said the documentary will detail the setbacks that led to the Expos leaving Montreal, including “fee disputes between the city and Expos owner Jeffrey Loria over a new stadium, the firing of beloved former manager Felipe Alou, and a historic trade in which Loria bought the Miami Marlins, Marlins owner John Henry bought the Boston Red Sox and MLB bought the Expos.”
The upcoming documentary continues a string of recent Netflix sports entertainment projects, following the path created by Formula 1: Drive to survive, Full power, NASCAR: Full Speed Ahead, Unspeakable, Strategist, Tour de France: Unleashed, Under pressure: The Women’s World Cup in the United States Team And Six Nations: Full Contact. MLB too announcement Earlier this month, the Boston Red Sox were reportedly the subject of a Netflix docuseries that would follow their entire 2024 season.