Netflix is going all in on nostalgia for its MLB Field of Dreams broadcast later this year, and it has a specific face in mind for the event. According to Netflix Sports anchor Elle Duncan, the streaming service is actively hoping to get Kevin Costner involved.
Duncan told Front Office Sports that Netflix plans to make a strong pitch to the actor, who starred in the 1989 film that inspired the annual game in Dyersville, Iowa. Costner played Ray Kinsella, an Iowa farmer who builds a baseball diamond after hearing a mysterious voice and ends up hosting the ghosts of baseball legends like Shoeless Joe Jackson.
“I know that, you know, Netflix always makes a really compelling pitch, so I’m certainly hoping that he’ll wanna be a part of it in some kind of way, because he is the face of the Field of Dreams, and I know he’s still a really big baseball fan, so hopefully we can get him,” Duncan said.
More Than Just a Guest Appearance
Duncan also teased the broader approach Netflix is taking for the broadcast. The goal is to honor the deep sentimental pull of the film while bringing it to people who weren’t even alive when Costner first heard that whisper in the cornfield.
“I can tell you that, like, we’re really gonna lean into the nostalgic part of Field of Dreams, hopefully introducing it to a new audience,” she said.
Netflix acquired the broadcast rights for this year’s MLB showcase after Fox handled the previous installments. This is part of a bigger push into live sports for the streamer. Netflix already aired those Christmas Day NFL games, including the one where Beyoncé performed at halftime between the Ravens and Texans in 2024. So getting Costner on board would be another headline-grabber for a company still proving it can do live events at scale.
Costner and Baseball Go Way Back
Costner is basically tied to baseball movies in a way few actors are. Besides Field of Dreams, he starred in Bull Durham and played a pro ballplayer in For Love of the Game. That first one alone grossed about $84.5 million worldwide and picked up three Oscar nominations, including Best Picture.
The Field of Dreams game itself has become a regular-season staple since it debuted in 2021. It’s played at a temporary ballpark built near the actual movie site, complete with cornfields stretching into the outfield. Having Costner show up in some capacity — maybe a pregame interview, a voiceover, or a walk out of the corn — would connect the fiction to the live event in a pretty direct way.
Netflix hasn’t confirmed anything yet, and Costner’s camp hasn’t commented. But if the pitch is as compelling as Duncan suggests, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him involved. The guy still loves baseball, and the movie still means something to people.
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