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Moneyball Movie Gets Another Chance Thanks to Aaron Sorkin

BuzzSugar — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 15:30:25 -0700

The Moneyball movie that got grounded by Sony just days before it was supposed to start shooting may yet make it to a big screen near you. Aaron Sorkin has been hired to rewrite the script for the film, which is based on Michael Lewis's nonfiction book.

The script has been the major point of contention: Sony halted production on the film because it didn't like some changes Steven Soderbergh - who was then signed on to direct the film - had made. Soderbergh will no longer be involved with the movie in any capacity.

Brad Pitt is still signed on to star as Billy Beane, the general manager of the Oakland A's who took an unusual approach to evaluating ballplayers' talent. One of Soderbergh's plans was to have actual ballplayers and managers appear in the film to talk about Beane, but it's unclear if that will still happen under Sorkin.

With Sports Night, Sorkin proved he can get inside a sports story. Will he be the one who can get Moneyball back off the ground? Or does this sound like a bad marriage between a dry subject and Sorkin's wordy writing? And if Sorkin's script does get the go-ahead, who should direct this thing?

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Weekend Reading: What the Heck Happened to That Brad Pitt Baseball Movie?

BuzzSugar — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 07:30:28 -0700

Last weekend, the entertainment industry was shocked when Sony pulled the plug on Steven Soderbergh's baseball movie that was going to star Brad Pitt - just days before the movie was supposed to start shooting.

Based on a bestseller by Michael Lewis, Moneyball was going to be a feature-length film about the true story of Oakland Athletics' general manager Billy Beane (Pitt) who put together a successful baseball team based on a new way of measuring a player's skill via stats. It might sound kind of dry, but having read both the book and an early, leaked version of the script, I can vouch for it being a compelling story. So, I'm officially bummed that this project appears to be stuck in development hell and may never hit the big screen.

High-profile projects with big-name stars and directors don't get swiftly killed all that often - so what the heck happened? Two articles this week shed some light on the whole debacle, and they're fascinating reads if you're interested in this project and/or the inner workings of the Hollywood studio system.

First, Sony co-chairman Amy Pascal gives her side of the story in this LA Times piece. Apparently, Soderbergh made some drastic, last-minute changes to the script:

"I've wanted to work with Steven forever, because he's simply a great filmmaker," Pascal told me today. "But the draft he turned in wasn't at all what we'd signed up for. He wanted to make a dramatic reenactment of events with real people playing themselves. I'd still work with Steven in a minute, but in terms of this project, he wanted to do the film in a different way than we did."

For more on what happened with Moneyball, just read more.

Then there's this New York Times article that fills in details on some of Soderbergh's changes, some of which were made to make Major League Baseball happier with the film's accuracy:

What baseball saw as accurate, Sony executives saw as being too much a documentary. Mr. Soderbergh, for instance, planned to film interviews with some of the people who were connected to the film’s story. The executives, who had just seen disappointing results from The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 and Year One, rebelled.

As of now, the film is mostly considered dead, though there's thought that a different director could come in to make a movie out of the version of the script that Sony originally approved. After reading the stories, do you think Soderbergh was in the wrong for making the last-minute changes? Or do you think Sony got too skittish about a movie that still could have been good? And if Moneyball ever does get made, would you go see it?

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Buzz News Roundup, 6/22

BuzzSugar — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 13:15:21 -0700

Just days away from the start of shooting, Columbia has pulled the plug on Moneyball, Steven Soderbergh's baseball drama starring Brad Pitt. - The Hollywood Reporter
Here's the track listing for the American Idol season eight album. - Entertainment Weekly
A 10-gallery museum devoted to the life of Walt Disney will open in San Francisco on Oct. 1. - AP
Simon Cowell has addressed the Susan Boyle situation and other controversies from this season of Britain's Got Talent. - Daily Mail
Nip/Tuck has filmed its 100th and final episode - though it may not air till 2011. - LA Times
Playing in Britain and Japan ahead of its worldwide release on Wednesday, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen premiered at No. 1 on the international circuit during the weekend, with a total of almost $20 million. - Reuters
True Blood tops a new index of shows that fans love to talk about online. - The Hollywood Reporter
British singer Estelle will replace Lauryn Hill as the headline act at this year's Stockholm Jazz Festival. - AP

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Buzz News Roundup, 4/22

BuzzSugar — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 13:30:05 -0700

Vanessa Hudgens will reportedly star in Beastly, a Manhattan-set, modern-day take on Beauty and the Beast, based on Alex Flinn's young-adult novel. - ComingSoon
Christopher Gorham will return as Henry in the finale of Ugly Betty. - Entertainment Weekly
Simon Cowell claims he'd leave American Idol if it stopped being the No. 1 show. - The Hollywood Reporter
The 3-D "motion picture event," Disney's A Christmas Carol will screen at the Cannes Film Festival on Monday, May 18. - ComingSoon
NBC is pulling Kings from the schedule starting this week; it's set to resume June 13. - Zap2it
A "major character from the first two seasons" will show up in the Desperate Housewives finale. - TV.com
Comedian Demetri Martin will star alongside Brad Pitt in the film adaptation of Moneyball. - Variety
ABC has announced the cast of The Superstars, which pairs athletes and celebrities for a competition. - The Futon Critic

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Buzz News Roundup, 10/17

BuzzSugar — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 13:30:37 -0700

Once is going to get a remake as a Broadway musical. - LA Times
Speaking of theater, Will Ferrell will make his Broadway debut in January in the new solo comedy You’re Welcome America. A Final Night With George W Bush. - Variety
Mad Men will be renewed for a third season - but creator Matthew Weiner isn't officially on board yet. - The Hollywood Reporter
Michael Lewis’s nonfiction bestseller Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game will be adapted to film, with filmmakers eying Brad Pitt for the lead role. - ComingSoon
The real Sarah Palin will appear on Saturday Night Live this weekend. - AP
The film adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's The Road may not be ready for release until 2009. - The Hollywood Reporter
Four Tops lead singer Levi Stubbs has passed away at the age of 72. - AP
Kim Cattrall is set to star in a movie titled Miss January. - Variety
Barry Manilow will release an album of '80s covers on Nov. 25. - Billboard

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