The real life Bad News Bears getting narrative feature…
Multiple outlets are reporting that ‘Fast and Furious’ helmer Justin Lin has acquired the narrative remake rights to the documentary ‘The Battered Bastards of Baseball.’
The documentary, which premiered to overwhelmingly reviews at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, follows professional baseball player-turned Hollywood veteran Bing Russell who in 1973 created the only independent baseball team in America at the time, the Portland Mavericks.
The year after Bing started his beloved Mavericks, the team shattered minor league attendance record, and he was named Class A Baseball Executive of the Year, unprecedented for the owner of an independent team. However, in 1977 the unkempt castoffs were forced out of Portland after the Pacific Coast League reclaimed the territory and gave it back to the MLB-affiliated Beavers.
Maverick players included Jim Bouton, Jason Tatar, Robbie Robinson, Ken Medlock, and Bing’s son, ‘Escape From LA’ star Kurt, who narrates the documentary.
THR adds that actor-turned-director Todd Field (‘The Creed of Violence,’ ‘Little Children’) is on board to write and direct the narrative. The Oscar-nominated filmmaker was the Mavericks’ wide-eyed 13-year-old batboy.