Now starring as Billy Beane: Brad Pitt

The champagne room is overrated.

 

Okay, this just keeps getting increasingly weird.
http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2009/05/06/exclusive-steven-soderbergh-to-use-animated-bill-james-character-in-moneyball/

 

It's like A Beautiful Mind meets Major League meets Paula Abdul's Opposite's Attract video.

 

Three of those teams you mentioned have won at least one World Series in the last 20 years, including the pre-"Money Ball" A's.

 

Apparently the movie has been "called called back into the dugout." Which blows my mind coming so close to the start date. Figure if you're a studio and you can get Brad Pitt and Soderbergh working from a script co-written by Steve Zaillian you shoot it, regardless. Pulling the plug at this point probably means you lose Brad Pitt who I figure is booked for the next four years.

(From EW)
Just days before it was to begin shooting, Brad Pitt and Steven Soderbergh's baseball drama Moneyball has been put in turnaround, Variety is reporting. According to the report, Columbia Pictures president Amy Pascal made the decision on Friday after reading the final draft of the script, by Oscar-winners Soderbergh and Steven Zaillian (Schindler's List), deeming it too different from earlier versions. The film was scheduled to begin shooting Monday, June 22. Pascal's move means the filmmakers may scramble to find another distributor (Variety says Warner Bros. and Paramount are possibilities). If they're unsuccessful, the film, based on Michael Lewis' 2003 book about Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane, may be delayed or even scrapped completely.

 

That's sad, with this kind of cast you can't lose

From imdb.com

David Justice ... Himself
Darryl Strawberry ... Himself
Lenny Dykstra ... Himself
Scott Hatteberg ... Himself

 

At least one of those guys has serious acting chops:

 

Now, Mr. Burns had done it ... the power plant had won it, with Roger Clemens clucking all the while

Mike Sciosca's tragic illness made us smile, while Wade Boggs lay unconscious on the bar room tile.

We're talking softball, from Maine to San Diego.

We're talking softball, Mattingly and Canseco.

Ken Griffey's grotesquely swollen jaw.

Steve Sax and his run-in with the law.

We're talkin' Homer .... Ozzie and the Straw.

From memory, natch.

 

Very surprising that this movie has been shelved, for any length of time, at this point. I'm told they've actually shot some broll at Anaheim stadium last week...all of which is further proof Sony Studios is a joke.

 

Why would anyone pay money to see this movie?

 

Buddy of mine has a great take on the movie's collapse, noting that it couldn't help but make money:

http://www.mcnblogs.com/thehotblog/archives/2009/06/what_is_really.html