When Sony pulled the plug on its adaptation of Michael M. Lewis' "Moneyball" this past summer, mere days before shooting was to begin with Steven Soderbergh at the helm, movie and baseball fans alike were severely disappointed. Yet despite reported fears that a movie about America's greatest pastime won't play well internationally (as if this were Hollywood's first ever baseball-centered film), the studio is continuing its attempt to bring the story of Billy Beane and his management of the Oakland A's to the big screen.
According to Variety, Sony has hired Bennett Miller to replace Soderbergh as director. Miller hasn't made a film since "Capote," for which he was nominated for an Oscar, though he has been doing the occasional TV commercial and music video. So, as much as this is good news for fans of Lewis' book -- which encompasses any true baseball enthusiast -- it's also exciting for those of us who've been waiting for Miller to direct his next feature.
It's assumed (for now) that Brad Pitt will still star as Beane, a former baseball player who went on to head the A's, which he restructured using an innovative system for analyzing statistics in order to build a team more cost-effectively. Pitt told MTV News in August that he was still on board, interested in and hopeful about the project, and reports still link the actor to the film. Meanwhile it's unknown if Demitri Martin, formerly cast as statistician Paul De Podesta, remains attached.
Miller apparently won the gig over "(500) Days of Summer" director Marc Webb, and that's fine considering Webb likely has plenty of options following the success of his debut film. Richard Linklater is also said to have been offered the film after Soderbergh's departure, but he declined.
Are you happy that "Moneyball" is back on track? Do you think Bennett Miller is a worthy substitute for Steven Soderbergh?
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