Watch Will Ferrell whack a cheerleader in the face with a basketball

WILL Ferrell shocked onlookers when he smacked a cheerleader in the face with a basketball during Wednesday night’s Pelicans-Lakers game.

WILL Ferrell smacked a cheerleader in the face with a basketball and was then dragged out of the arena by security during Wednesday night’s Pelicans-Lakers game.

But don’t expect the actor to face any charges.

The incident was of course staged, part of a film shoot that took place during half-time at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans.

Ferrell’s character was reportedly attempting a half-court shot with the cheerleaders lined up alongside him. Instead of aiming for the basket, he fired the ball directly into the face of one of the girls, according to Sports Illustrated.

The scene is for the upcoming film, Daddy’s Home, which also stars Mark Wahlberg, Linda Cardellini and Hannibal Buress.

“When a divorced guy’s ex-wife remarries someone way more uptight, he re-enters her life and wreaks havoc,” the IMDB description reads.

Within minutes, photos and videos of the hit from multiple angles were circulating on social media.

VIDEO: Will Ferrell hit a cheerleader w/ a basketball at a Pelicans game for his new movie http://t.co/LAFCRU1R5V pic.twitter.com/yLFZ2etSpo

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 22, 2015

New photo gallery of Will Ferrell & Mark Wahlberg filming @ #Pelicans game #TakeFlight http://t.co/E51tdzAuyb pic.twitter.com/JdIQst3UJG

— Michael DeMocker (@MichaelDeMocker) January 22, 2015

It’s safe to say that the scene probably won’t come as much of a surprise by the time the film comes out, which is expected to be later this year.

Ferrell and Wahlberg also starred together in The Other Guys, a send-up of police buddy films.

Mark Wahlberg and Will Ferrell in a scene from 2010 film The Other Guys.

This article originally appeared in The Huffington Post.

This article was written by Ed Mazza from Huffington Post and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network.