As sports hold about as much interest to me as math, economics and statistics do, the fact that Moneyball proved to be one of my favorite movies from 2011 is a mark of how well the story was told, not to mention the great performances by Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill. Much of the film’s success is a credit to screenwriters Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin, as well as to Michael Lewis, who penned the book on which the film was based. But how will Lewis do when faced with the task of adapting his own book to the big screen? Disney’s allowing him to answer that question.
According to Variety, Disney has optioned the feature rights to Lewis’ book Coach: Lessons on the Game of Life, and Lewis, who, in addition to Moneyball, also wrote the book on which The Blind Side was based, is going to write the screenplay for it. He’ll be reteaming with producer Gil Netter, who also produced The Blind Side.
Coach is based on a true story about Lewis’ perspective on his baseball mentor, Coach Fitz, and the impact the man’s methods had on the athletes. Given how well Moneyball and The Blind Side turned out, not only in telling great stories but also in drawing outstanding performances from the starring actors, it should be very interesting to see who is lined up to star in this one. That may be thinking a bit far ahead though, given that it sounds like the project’s in the early development stage at this point. Then again, with the attention Moneyball continues to receive (and will continue to receive come Oscar night), and the developing track record for starring/supporting role Oscar nominations for Lewis adaptations, it wouldn’t be surprising to hear word of actors circling roles in the project sooner than usual.
Coach: Lessons on the Game of Life isn’t the only Michael Lewis book on track to get the big screen treatment. As Variety notes, Lewis has other projects in development, including Liar’s Poker for Warner Bros. and The Big Short for Paramount. So there may be plenty of Oscar-nominee-worthy roles to go around.
