After making history last fall as part of the Chicago Cubs' curse-breaking World Series win, retired catcherDavid Rossis now helping bring this epic story to the big screen. Radar Pictures has acquiredDavid Ross' upcoming memoir,Teammate: My Journey in Baseball and a World Series for the Ages, which he co-wrote with sportswriterDon Yeager, for a big-screen movie adaptation. While the book will touch upon his successful 15-year career as a major league catcher, it will largely focus on theChicago Cubs' improbable comeback win, the team’s first since 1908.
The Hollywood Reporterreveals that the movie will go under the shortened titleTeammate: My Life in Baseball, based on the book that will be published on May 9 by Hachette Books.Ram GetzandJohn Corcoran(Whisper of the Wolves) will write the adapted screenplay based on this book.Ram Getzis also producing with Radar Pictures’Ted Field, withLisette Brossexecutive producing. BothDavid RossandDon Yeagerwill also serve as executive producers throughIan Kleinert’s Objective Entertainment, withKleinertandRyan Gleichowskico-producing. Here’s whatDavid Rosshad to say about thisupcoming adaptationin a statement.
“It was said all during the 2016 season that if you made a movie about the magical run with all itsamazing subplots, no one would believe it. Guess what? Believe it!”
The 40-year-oldDavid Rosshad announced before the start of the 2016 season that he would be retiring, which lead his teammates to push for that long-awaited World Series win for the player they affectionately dubbed, “Grandpa Rossy.” The Cubs ended the regular season with the best record in baseball, the only team to notch over 100 wins last season, beating the San Francisco Giants in the National League Division Series and the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship Series to face the Cleveland Indians in the World Series. At one point, the Cubs were down three games to one, but they won three in a row in an improbable comeback, withDavid Rossbecoming the oldest player to hit a home run in Game 7 of the World Series. That game also made history by being the first game in World Series history to go to extra innings.
Since retirement,David Rosshas signed on to work for ESPN as abaseball analystfor the coming 2017 season, and he is also appearing on the current season of ABC’s hit reality seriesDancing With the Stars. No director has been set for this adaptation as of yet, and it isn’t immediately clear if work has already began on the adapted screenplay forTeammate: My Life in Baseball.Ram Getzis also producing the upcoming biopic entitledCrossface, centering on the tragic life of former WWE SuperstarChris Benoit, which hasLexi Alexanderset to direct. Radar Pictures recently completed productionHigh Wire Act, starringJon HammandRosamund Pike, and is wrapping post-production on Sony’sJumanji, starringDwayne Johnson,Kevin HartandJack Black.
