Tom Hanks will be drawing on his Bay Area childhood and love for baseball for his next big project.
The Concord native, who worked as a concessions vendor at Oakland A’s games as a teen, has been cast in the sports dramedy titled “The Comebacker,” according to Variety.
The film will be adapted from Pulitzer Prize finalist Dave Eggers’ short story of the same name, which follows a sports journalist whose life and career is changed after a pitcher is brought up from the minor leagues.
The movie title refers to an injury the pitcher suffers after the batter sends the ball hurling into his skull.
While Eggers’ story centers on the San Francisco Giants, the screenplay may be set in New York, according to Variety. Also, Hanks’ leading role will be a pitching coach in the film, not a reporter, per Deadline.
Alameda-raised filmmaker Marielle Heller has been tapped to direct.
No stranger to Eggers’ work, Hanks previously starred in films inspired by the San Francisco author’s works, including “A Hologram for the King” (2016) and “The Circle” (2017). Hanks has also worked with Heller on the Academy Award-nominated “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” (2019).
Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny and Colman Domingo, who got his start acting in San Francisco theaters, are reportedly eyeing roles in the film.
Several studios are in talks to acquire the film, Variety reports, but Sony Pictures is a top contender.
Fittingly, the project was announced just one day after Major League Baseball’s season opener.
The real San Francisco Giants lost 0-7 to the New York Yankees at Oracle Park on Wednesday, March 26, a game that marked a historic moment for the league and Netflix. The Bay Area streaming services’ broadcast its first MLB game, complete with on-field entertainment and appearances from celebrities such as actors Daniel Dae Kim, John Cena and Oakland-raised Yahya Abdul-Manteen II.