UPDATE: Callum Turner confirms he’s part of this movie, playing the minor league pitcher.
UPDATE: Bad Bunny and Colman Domingo are also set to star. Additionally, Sony Pictures seems to be in pole position to acquire the film.
Bad Bunny, fresh off his widely covered Super Bowl halftime performance, recently had a foray into acting, which began with small parts in “F9” and “Bullet Train,” followed by supporting roles in “Happy Gilmore 2” and “Caught Stealing.” As for Domingo, watch his performance in “Zola” and tell me, with a straight face, that he’s not a great actor.
EARLIER: A bidding war, between three unnamed major studios, has commenced for “The Comebacker,” starring Tom Hanks and directed by Marielle Heller, the same duo who teamed up for “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood.”
Based on a short story by Dave Eggers, “The Comebacker” was scripted by Heller and is described as a love letter to baseball, which means this is Hanks going back to the sport for the first time since “A League of Their Own,” almost 35 years ago.
Slight red flag: Eggers, a Pulitzer Prize finalist, has had Hanks star in adaptations of two of his works already, “A Hologram for the King” and “The Circle,” sadly, both clunkers. Hopefully, Heller has found the magic touch, and third time’s the charm.
In “The Comebacker,” Hanks plays a struggling sportswriter, who regains his passion after a minor-league pitcher is called up. Following a head injury from a line drive, the pitcher speaks in poetic ways that inspire Lionel’s work and captivate readers. The original story centers on the San Francisco Giants, though the screenplay may shift to the New York Mets.
Heller’s debut was 2015 Sundance sensation “The Diary of a Teenage Girl.” This was followed by the equally acclaimed “Can You Ever Forgive Me.” She then dabbled into mainstream filmmaking with the mostly-enjoyable “A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood,” the much-delayed and “Nightbitch”