Pitch Sale: “Million Dollar Arm”

Sony buys baseball pitch with an unusual hook “Million Dollar Arm”:

Columbia Pictures has Mitch Glazer writing Million Dollar Arm, a film that will be produced by Mark Ciardi, Gordon Gray and Joe Roth. The movie borrows its title from a reality series by sports agent JB Bernstein that aired on TV in India. Bernstein watched a cricket match and noticed that the throwing motion was similar to baseball. Though scouts routinely scour Latin America and Japan for prospects, Bernstein wondered could the next Nolan Ryan reside in India? Over 40,000 auditioned, and Bernstein returned to the U.S. with 19-year old cricket player Rinku Singh and javelin thrower Dinesh Patel. Both grew up in strict Hindu households and neither had never ventured beyond their small rural villages. They learned English through rap songs and action movies, and the rules of baseball. Each of them throws over 90 mph, and the Pirates signed them.

Fun idea — and as the article notes, should give the movie more play in international market, especially India.

Mitch Glazer on board to write the script.

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