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Hunky, Tubby, Pasty and Andy Dwyer Bring Drama to Baseball Statistics in the Moneyball Trailer

By Dustin Rowles | Posted Under Trailers | Comments (8)

brad_pitt_moneyball_set_image_01 (1).jpg

Here is the first trailer for the Sabermetrics biopic, Moneyball, based on the transformative way that Oakland A’s General Manager, Billy Beane, scouted players back in the late 80s, early 90s. It’s a BFD in the baseball world, but the idea that someone could extract drama out of the premise seems far-fetched. But we thought the same of the Facebook movie, The Social Network, and Aaron Sorkin had a hand in the Moneyball script as well (with a polish from Steven Zallian). At one point, Steven Soderbergh had been tapped to direct, but he eventually made way for Bennett Miller (Capote), and the only reason the movie even survived through all the cast and directing upheavals was because Brad Pitt remained attached. Brad Pitt gets what Brad Pitt wants (except probably the ability to sleep in).

He stars here as Beane; Jonah Hill plays a baseball suit, Peter Brand, and Phillip Seymour Hoffman is in as A’s manager, Art Howe (remember that guy?). So, in other words, the three least likely people to be cast in a movie about baseball. But the trailer looks pretty goddamn great, and it’s even got Chris Pratt (“Parks and Recreation”) as Scott Hatteberg, one of the baseball kids who only could’ve succeeded in Beane’s system.

(Via Slashfilm)










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Comments

Hatteberg was one of my favorite "characters" in Moneyball! I'm glad to see this movie actually got made. I hope it's good.

Posted by: tamatha at June 16, 2011 10:08 AM

Now, I just want to read the book all over again.

Posted by: tamatha at June 16, 2011 10:11 AM

Pitt is such a Try-Hard. He so badly wants to be cool but always comes across as trying instead of being.

Posted by: d at June 16, 2011 11:27 AM

Too bad the A's are awful right now. That's not a good selling point.

Also, IIRC in the book, Beane comes across (to me, at least) as being quite the asshole. And I mean that in a good way. This looks like he's going to get the nice-guy misunderstood-genius tag. It would be better if he came off like Zuckerberg in "Social Network," a misunderstood-genius ASSHOLE. There's victory in that.

Posted by: , at June 16, 2011 11:35 AM

Was this really set in the 80s and 90s? Why were there references to the internet and texting? I feel confused.

Posted by: zygomatique at June 16, 2011 2:03 PM

I didn't read the book, but Beane became the GM of the A's in 1998 and a scout in 1994, so I don't think it's set in the 80's, unless it also follows his playing days.

Posted by: Me at June 16, 2011 4:09 PM

I'm getting a Friday Night Lights vibe (always a good thing) but that might just be the music.

Posted by: ash at June 16, 2011 6:38 PM

Sure, the A's might not be so hot right now, but that's because sabremetrics caught on and negated whatever advantage the A's might've had over the rest of the league.

Thank you, Billy Beane, for injecting science and intelligence into a dumb jock world.

Posted by: Chris JL at June 17, 2011 7:37 AM