Fans of I Love Lucy will want to set their calendars to check out Prime Video on March 4, 2022. That's the date the new documentary Lucy and Desi, from Parks and Rec star Amy Poehler making her directorial debut, officially premieres. Amazon announced the premiere date along with a poster for the doc hyping its release, showcasing the classic television stars during their I Love Lucy days.
“Ron Howard at Imagine [Entertainment] came to and said, ‘Would you be interested in telling a story?’” Poehler previously said of the film at the Creative Coalition Television Humanitarian Awards, per Variety. “We started talking about Lucy, who I grew up with and, of course, I’m a fan of her comedy. But I’m also very inspired by her story and what kind of woman she was in business, and what kind of culture she was in when she was making the show, and the relationship between her and her husband Desi Arnaz, and how interesting and complicated and loving it was."
The director added, “I was just watching a bunch of her physical stuff together, watching beat after beat because I’m looking at all the physical ways she moves. I’m just always amazed by how she moves. She’s like a beautiful dancer. Sometimes my favorite stuff of hers is non-verbal and all about movement.”
Lucy and Desi's Story Also Inspired Aaron Sorkin's New Film Being the Ricardos
The story of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, the real-life couple who co-starred in I Love Lucy, inspired the film Being the Ricardos. Directed by Aaron Sorkin, the drama goes behind the scenes of the classic sitcom, delving into the personal lives of its lead stars. Nicole Kidman plays Ball with Javier Bardem as Arnaz, with the rest of the cast including J. K. Simmons, Ninia Arianda, Tony Hale, Alia Shawkat, Jake Lacy, and Clark Gregg.
"What I want is for people to enjoy themselves for the two hours I've asked them to watch the movie," Sorkin said of the film after some backlash over its casting, per Slash Film. "A couple of things maybe to toss around, for instance: Lucy is in deep trouble, literally about to be canceled. The show as well as her career, Desi's career, and it's because of something she checked the box for 16 years ago at a time, as she says in the film, it wasn't considered much worse than being a Republican. It's a different time. Russia was our ally. This has been dug up, and she's about to be killed for it today. If that reminds anybody of our culture today, that's okay with me."
"Remember that — I wasn't casting Lucy Ricardo and Ricky Ricardo," Sorkin added. "Right? I was casting Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, and moreover, I was not casting them in a vacuum. I was casting the Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz that are in this script, the characters in this script. So for Lucy, I needed a world-class dramatic actress with a dry sense of humor, and agility with language."
Lucy and Desi will start streaming on Prime Video on March 4, 2022, for those looking to learn more about the true story. You can watch Being the Ricardos now on the streaming service.