Following their collaboration on the critically acclaimed 2019 drama film A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, Tom Hanks and director Marielle Heller are reuniting for a baseball film which will be an adaptation of the short story The Comebacker by Dave Eggers.
The Comebacker is the opening short in a collection by Eggers titled “The Forgetters.” The story centers on Lionel, a once-prominent sports journalist whose fading enthusiasm for both his career and personal life is reignited by a minor league pitcher making his way to the big stage.
The title alludes to a serious injury the pitcher endured when a powerful hit sent the ball crashing back into his skull. Following the incident, the pitcher begins to display unusual traits, including a poetic way of speaking that deeply influences Lionel's writing, helping his stories connect with readers nationwide.
Rapper and singer Bad Bunny and Colman Domingo are in talks to star in the film. While Sony Pictures and Focus Features were in a bidding war to acquire the film, the project is most likely to land in the hands of the former. Both Hanks and Heller are backing the project through their respective banners.