Could this be the Balls of Fury sequel no one was clamoring for? Unlikely, though Deadline does say that Oscar-winner Susan Sarandon will be involved with Ping-Pong Summer, a feature Michael Tully plans to direct from his own script.
It’s being described as a coming-of-stage story of a New Jersey teen with a passion for table tennis and hip-hop music who embarks on a family vacation in the summer of 1985 and contends with his entire life changing before his very eyes. Get me a young John Cusack on the phone! Let’s hope Sarandon doesn’t play a seasoned beach comber who helps trigger a sexual awakening in the young protagonist in Tully’s screenplay. Will this be The Wackness, or One Crazy Summer? We’ll find out as more details emerge.
If you think it’s strange that Sarandon would commit to a ping-pong-themed project, you don’t know her interests. She’s a rabid ping-pong enthusiast, and has gone so far as to launch an initiative – SpiN – that provides games of ping-pong to inner city schools that can benefit from after-school activities. The program has begun in New York City, and Sarandon has said she plans on franchising it to other cities in the future. Perhaps as part of the Ping-Pong Summer press tour?
Until Sarandon swings a paddle in Summer, you’ll be able to see her in Jeff, Who Lives at Home -- which is still playing in a few theaters – and That’s My Boy, a summer comedy with Adam Sandler and Andy Samberg, which opens on June 15.
