The road for MONEYBALL has been a long one, but it looks like the film is finally about to hit one out of the park, with a few easy pitches to some real strikers of talent. Now we’ll stop with the baseball puns. Philip Seymour Hoffman and Robin Wright are now both in “early talks” to join the production, which already has Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill attached.

Hoffman has previously worked with MONEYBALL director Bennett Miller, and with excellent results – Hoffman won an Oscar for his role in their CAPOTE. Hoffman would come on as team manager Art Howe, who had a tumultuous relationship with Pitt’s Billy Beane, despite their on-field successes together. Wright would play Beane’s ex-wife. I have a feeling that Mr. Beane has some relationship trouble that will figure in to the story.

MONEYBALL is based on Michael Lewis’ book that followed the 2002 Oakland Athletics team. Pitt remains attached to play general manager Billy Beane, who led the team “to an excellent season despite having the lowest payroll in the Major Leagues.” Beane’s strategy employed a “stats-based system” that allowed him to find affordable players who would still be able to win (no A-Rods on this crew). Hill is on board as Paul DePodesta, “a Harvard grad statistician who skipped over Wall St. jobs and instead went to work for Beane.”

After shutting down the production once before, Sony seems to be back in the game, aiming for filming to start in July.

Source Variety, /Film