Demetri Martin, who stars in Ang Lee’s upcoming Taking Woodstock, is joining Brad Pitt in Columbia Pictures’ Moneyball.
Steven Soderbergh will direct the adaptation of Michael Lewis’ book about ballplayer-turned-Oakland Athletics g.m. Billy Beane (Pitt) and his attempt to field a competitive team on a slim payroll. Shooting on the drama begins in June.
Variety says that former Oakland A’s team members David Justice and Scott Hatteberg have signed on to play themselves in the film, while Daryl Strawberry and Lenny Dykstra are among those who will be seen on camera being interviewed about their experiences with Beane when he was a phenomenon drafted by the New York Mets before flaming out and becoming a baseball scout.
Martin will play Paul De Podesta, a Harvard graduate who turned down Wall Street jobs to use his statistical skills to change baseball scouting tactics. His system, known as “Earned Run Value,” allowed Beane to evaluate valuable players he could hire at low cost.
