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A bidding war has reportedly broken out for Marielle Heller’s baseball dramedy “The Comebacker” with three major studios fighting to land the project, and Sony Pictures is reportedly the favourite at present.
Tom Hanks will star while Colman Domingo and Bad Bunny are said to be circling the project based on a short story by Pulitzer Prize finalist Dave Eggers (“A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius,” “The Circle,” “A Hologram for the King”).
The original story follows a fading sports journalist named Lionel whose passion for his craft and his life is awakened by a pitcher called up from the minor leagues to the San Francisco Giants.
A line drive sends a ball with brute force into the pitcher’s skull. After the injury, the pitcher exhibits unexpected behaviour, including poetic speech. This inspires stories by Hanks’ journalist that resonate with readers across the country.
The film is expected to change the team to the New York Mets. Specifics on the roles of the actors are unclear.
The project is dubbed a “love letter to baseball” and marks Hanks’ return to a film about the sport more than three decades since his memorable turn in “A League of Their Own”. Production on the film will begin in October, with Hanks and Heller to produce.
Heller broke out in 2015 with “The Diary of a Teenage Girl” followed by “Can You Ever Forgive Me”. She teamed with Hanks on the Mr. Rogers biopic “A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood,” and most recently directed “Nightbitch”.
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