‘The Comebacker’ sets release date as Tom Hanks gears up to star in baseball movie after 34 years
Tom Hanks is set to enter the world of baseball once again. The Oscar winner will star in his first baseball film, titled 'The Comebacker,' in 34 years. For those unaware, Hanks famously played manager Jimmy Dugan in the beloved 1992 film 'A League of Their Own.' The movie is a fictionalized account of the creation of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. It mainly focused on the Peaches and their run in the tournament. Hanks played the alcoholic and abrasive manager Jimmy Dugan, who eventually led the team to victory. In 2012, the movie was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry, and Dugan's lesson to his team, “There’s no crying in baseball,” was ranked No. 54 on the American Film Institute's list of the best movie quotes.
In 'The Comebacker,' Hanks will play a pitching coach whose life is altered after he gets struck in the head with a hit ball. Sony Pictures has now attached a release date to the project as of this writing. The sports feature will premiere on July 30, 2027, in theaters nationwide. Marielle Heller will direct the feature based on her own script, which adapts Dave Eggers’ 2024 short story of the same name. Playtone, Major League Baseball, and Leah Holzer are on board as producers. The release date appears to be a strategic move, as by that point, the MLB season will be past its midpoint. This implies that the movie will arrive when the baseball fever has gripped the nation.
As per Deadline, the movie is a love letter to baseball and will also feature an up-and-coming leading man in a significant role. The movie will reunite Hanks with Heller, who directed him in 2019's 'A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood.' For his role as Mister Rogers in the project, Hanks received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Sony came on board for the project after winning in a fierce war against two other production houses. The movie is set to face Paramount’s 'A Quiet Place III' on July 30, 2027, in theatres.
Tom Hanks recently voiced Woody in the blockbuster 'Toy Story 5' and also appeared in live-action projects like 'The Phoenician Scheme' and 'Here.' Heller's successful directorial ventures include 'The Diary of a Teenage Girl' and 'Can You Ever Forgive Me?' No other casting announcements about 'The Comebacker' are available at this point.
