‘Mad Men’s Jon Hamm To Play Sports Deal Maker In Disney’s ‘Million Dollar Arm’
EXCLUSIVE: Mad Men star Jon Hamm has become attached to play a sports agent in Million Dollar Arm, the drama based on the true story of how sports agent J.B. Bernstein discovered professional pitchers Rinku Singh and Dinesh Patel through a reality show he staged in India with cricket players. Mayhem Pictures’ Mark Ciardi and Gordon Gray are producing with Joe Roth and Palak Patel of Roth Films. Thomas McCarthy wrote the script and the plan is to shoot in the fall.
Bernstein repped top talent, but was burnt out and disillusioned until he watched the cricket game on late night TV and noticed how similar the game’s throwing motion was to that of baseball pitchers. He headed to India and wound up hatching the reality show Million Dollar Arm and auditioning 40,000 hopefuls. He brought back the two 19-year old finalists to the U.S., but it wasn’t as simple as signing with a ball club and heading to the minor leagues. Neither player had ever ventured beyond their rural village and Bernstein had to teach them as much about American culture and speaking English as he did the rules of baseball. All the work paid off when the imports became the first Indian players to sign pro baseball teams when they got contracts with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Hamm, who’s repped by ICM and Forward Entertainment, most recently starred in and produced the Jennifer Westfeldt-directed Friends With Kids.
given the recent post about Kyle Chandler, it’s worth mentioning…
Kyle Chandler > Jon Hamm
much better actor. much better presence.
I have this weird ability to like both.
I’m excited to see Jon Hamm in this!
love Hamm…he’s such a movie star! Sounds like a great project….
Jon’s the real deal. A movie star waiting to happen. not sure this is the right move for him, though.
Read the script. FANTASTIC. With the right director, could be a huge hit.
I hope this lovely actor and fantastic script find the director they deserve. Jon seems to be a huge baseball fan to begin with so he must be very happy to be involved with this project. But not happier than me to see him on the big screen. I’m thrilled with this type of movie for him.
Awesome! Jon Hamm is such a movie star!
Shouldn’t mad men be filming this fall? Or is it going to be another 2 years between seasons.
I read the script. NOT FANTASTIC. Think he’s signed on to a flop.
This could be for Jon what the blind Side was for Sandra
Why isnt Tom McCarthy directing? He’d be perfect for this.