Over three decades after starring in the iconic baseball movie, A League of Their Own, multi-time Oscar-winning actor Tom Hanks will return to the field in a new project, The Comebacker.
Variety was first to report that Hanks would reunite with A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood director Marielle Heller and board the new baseball dramedy, The Comebacker.
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood landed Hanks his sixth Oscar nomination. He was up for Best Supporting Actor for his performance as Fred Rogers. Hanks and Heller are likely hoping for similar success with their next collaboration.
Here's everything you need to know about the movie before it comes out.
What is Tom Hanks' new baseball movie, The Comebacker, about?
The Comebacker is an adaptation of Pulitzer Prize finalist Dave Eggers' short story of the same name. As Variety notes, the synopsis of the source material reads, “It 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.”
It appears Hanks will play the journalist. The pitcher suffers an injury after being hit in the head by a baseball. One notable change is that originally, the San Francisco Giants were the focus of the story. However, in the upcoming movie adaptation, the New York Mets will be the team focused on.
Hanks and Heller will produce The Comebacker as well. They may be joined by recent Super Bowl Halftime Show performer Bad Bunny and Colman Domingo, according to the report.
At this time, who they will play is unknown. It sounds like Bad Bunny and Domingo are “interested,” but no deals have been finalized.
As for who will distribute the film, Variety notes that Sony Pictures “is in pole position to” acquire the distribution rights. Their “attractive offer” helps Sony's chances, and that they distributed Hanks and Heller's last collaboration, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood.
