Moneyball, adapted from “The Blind Side” author Michael Lewis’ nonfiction book of the same name, has had a long road to the big screen as Steven Soderbergh was originally pegged to direct, but things broke down only three days before he was to begin shooting.
The film once carried a price tag of approximately $60 million and it’s now reportedly down to $47 million as Bennett Miller (Capote) has stepped in and taken on directorial duties, working with a script adapted by Steve Zaillian followed by a polish from Oscar-winner Aaron Sorkin (The Social Network).
Moneyball is based on a true story, and stars Brad Pitt as Billy Beane, the general manager of the Oakland A’s and the guy who assembles the team, who has an epiphany: all of baseball’s conventional wisdom is wrong. Forced to reinvent his team on a tight budget, Beane will have to outsmart the richer clubs. The onetime jock teams with Ivy League grad Peter Brand (Jonah Hill) in an unlikely partnership, recruiting bargain players that the scouts call flawed, but all of whom have an ability to get on base, score runs, and win games. It’s more than baseball, it’s a revolution – one that challenges old school traditions and puts Beane in the crosshairs of those who say he’s tearing out the heart and soul of the game.
There is undoubtedly a sense of high anticipation for this feature, but after seeing the trailer, which I’ve included above, I got the feeling it looked a bit soft. Moneyball will be making its world premiere in Toronto prior to its September 23 release. Will it be the Oscar contender we originally thought it would be or will what’s on screen be evident of a once-troubled production? My fingers are crossed because the talent here is too great to ignore from those that wrote the script, the director behind the camera and the talent in front of it, which not only includes Pitt and Hill, but Philip Seymour Hoffman, Robin Wright, Kathryn Morris and Chris Pratt as well.
The 2011 Toronto International Film Festival plays from September 8-18. For my complete coverage click here.
