Will Ferrell, Kristen Wiig say they're abandoning plans to star in Lifetime movie

Will Ferrell and Kristen Wiig say they are abandoning plans for a Lifetime TV movie after the secret project became public.

Lifetime had confirmed news reports Thursday that the former "Saturday Night Live" stars play a couple who befriend a pregnant woman in hopes of adopting her child. The film's ominous title was "A Deadly Adoption."

The actors quickly issued a statement that they were disappointed word got out. Ferrell and Wiig said they decided it's best to forego the project they labeled "top secret."

Earlier, Lifetime said the movie had already been taped and was being kept under wraps with plans to air it this summer. The network didn't immediately respond to a request for comment on Ferrell and Wiig's statement.

The pair appeared together in the big-screen movie "Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues," playing it strictly for laughs. They've had big-screen dramatic roles, but their casting in a melodramatic Lifetime movie seemed odd.