Known as Don Draper on AMC’s Mad Men, Jon Hamm will take on his first lead role in Disney’s production Million Dollar Arm as J.B. Bernstein. Thomas McCarthy’s script is based on a true story about Bernstein’s travels to India and how he discovered two professional pitchers Rinku Singh and Dinesh Patel via a reality television show he staged with cricket players.
If you’re wondering how in the heck cricket ties with baseball, one day Bernstein was watching late night television and realized just how similar the two sports’ throwing motion was. So he booked it to India and ended up scooping two 19-year old finalists of the Million Dollar Arm reality show. Never having any experience in minor league baseball—let alone, United States culture—Bernstein taught them everything they know. The two players ended up being the first Indian players to sign as pros with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Joe Roth and Palak Patel of Roth films will be producing the film along with Mayhem Pictures’ Mark Ciardi and Gordon Grey, with plans to shoot in the fall.
(via Huff Post Entertainment & Deadline; photo via Parade)
