Netflix Adds Three Docus Including ‘The Battered Bastards Of Baseball’

Netflix plans to debut three original documentaries over the next few months. First up is  The Battered Bastards Of Baseball. It chronicles how in 1973 Bonanza actor Bing Russell formed what at the time was America’s sole independent baseball team. Seen as a real-life version of the Bad News Bears, the Mavericks lasted three years before they were pushed out of Portland by the return of the major-league-backed Portland Beavers. The pic was co-directed by Chapman Way and Maclain Way, produced by Juliana Lembi, exec produced by Nancy Schafer and includes cast members Kurt Russell (Bing Russell’s son)  and Todd Fields. It’s set to premiere July 11 on Netflix. Also on the slate is Mission Blue. It tells the story of legendary oceanographer, marine biologist, environmentalist and National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Sylvia Earle and her impassioned campaign to save the world’s oceans from modern threats like climate change, overfishing and toxic waste. It premieres on August 15. In addition, E-Team, from Katy Chevigny (Deadline, Election Day) and Ross Kauffman (Born Into Brothels), follows the high-stakes investigative work of four fiercely intrepid human rights workers, offering a rare look at their lives at home and dramatic work in the field. It’s slated for a fall debut. Meanwhile, previously announced Print The Legend also is slated to premiere exclusively later this year on Netflix. The SXSW award-winning docu goes behind-the-scenes of the top American 3D printing brands as they fight for dominance in the rapidly developing, groundbreaking field of 3D printing.