Brad Pitt (Finally) Speaks About Moneyball

Screen Rant
August 14, 2009

by Jacob Waldman

Let’s run the bases real quick and recap the whole Moneyball
fiasco(cue the movie-montage):

Oscar winner Steve Zaillian spun a script from Michael Lewis’s book
about Oakland A’s general manager Billy Beane’s successful attempt to
put together a baseball club on a budget. Sony picked it up, Brad Pitt
and Steven Soderbergh hopped on board, Soderbergh retooled the script
into something more along the lines of a documentary with `if it
didn’t happen in real life, it won’t happen on the big screen’ running
through its veins. Sony bucked, the head of Sony, Amy Pascal pulled
the plug the morning of the first day of shooting. There. Now we’re
all on the same page (for more details, go here).

Today we have new details on Moneyball’s current status and a few
words from its (almost) star, Brad Pitt.

So Soderbergh turned in this new script that was (allegedly) some kind
of bastardization of Sony’s original vision for Moneyball. At the
outset, the movie was reported to capture the essence of Billy Beane
and his frantic energy that revamped the professional baseball
recruiting process. The movie reportedly would’ve resembled something
akin to Major League, only based more in reality and without Charlie
Sheen (unfortunately). But once Soderbergh got his hands on it, what
was once a sure thing became a fakakta mess, so Pascal put the kibosh
on the project.

However, rumors are circulating that maybe it wasn’t Soderbergh and
Pascal’s difference of opinion after all that caused Moneyball to
strike out – maybe it was Pitt’s pits! You see, Brad Pitt is notorious
for a few things: having nineteen visible abdominal muscles, liking
`dahgs,’ buying kids in six packs, being able to rock an outfit that
would make the rest of us look like D.J. Qualls¦ and pulling out at
the last minute (of projects, that is).

Let’s look at his track record, shall we? The actor dropped out of The
Fou scenarios. So it wouldn’t be surprising to find that he once
again suffered the morning-of jitters and decided to leave the bride
at the alter, so to speak. Now mind you, this is all speculation
based on a few whisperings here and there on the Interwebs, but
still, it seems like a rumor worth considering.

Now consider this: new reports are surfacing that in fact, Pitt was
whole-heartedly behind the project, and still is. Pitt was rocketed
questions rapid-fire regarding Moneyball during a walk-by on a red
carpet. Granted, this isn’t the best time for an in-depth interview
regarding the outlook of future projects, however The Playlist reports
that Pitt spoke out about the project for the first time in public
since the whole fiasco went down. When asked if he thinks Moneyball
can recovered, or if it’s going the way of the dodo, Pitt responded
with:

`My gut says yes. It’s a weird climate right now. But we’re still
trying to re-mount it. I hope we get to do it soon.’

Wow, Pitt, you couldn’t be more vague if you were running for public
office (consider that option, pal). But still, it’s something, right?
What’s more, Soderbergh is off the project, but Pitt, Sony,
screenwriter Aaron Sorkin (who is writing a new draft of the script)
and producers Mike DeLuca are still trying to keep the film alive and
bring aboard a new director.

So whaddya think? Will the American public dig a flick about baseball
recruiting, starring Brad Pitt (especially if he doesn’t take his
shirt off)? Is there a large enough demographic that justifies making
a movie about one dude and his strategies for picking players? And, if
you could choose, who would you get to direct Moneyball? Does this
film have what it takes to – here it comes – hit a home run? ZING!

Source: The Playlist

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