EXCLUSIVE: With Paramount Pictures Mr. Irrelevant already gaining buzz prior to its holiday opening, Skydance Sports is looking to hit a home run with its next big pic on one of the more iconic baseball figures in the past 50 years. Sources tell Deadline that Oscar winner Robert De Niro is in talks to play Tommy Lasorda, the legendary Dodgers manager, in a new sports pic going by the working title Tommy & Me with Reid Carolin directing for Skydance Sports.
There are no details yet as to the approach the film will take in chronicling Lasorda’s story.
The script is by George Gallo, Cambron Clark and Carolin. Skydance Sports is serving as lead studio, with Jesse Sisgold, Jason T. Reed, Sandino Moya-Smith producing for the company, alongside Mandalay Pictures’ Peter Gube, Intuition Productions’ Keri Selig and Diane Galardi, and Reid and Garret Livetz for Free Association.
Watch on Deadline
An iconic ambassador for the Dodgers organization, Lasorda began his career as a player for the Philadelphia Phillies, embarking on a brief stint in the U.S. Army and going back to the minor leagues before making his way to the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1949. He spent most of his brief playing career in the minors, though he pitched for a time for both the Dodgers and the Kansas City Athletics.
Lasorda’s greater impact on his sport came behind the scenes in the Dodgers organization, where he elevated over time from scout to minor-league manager to the major-league coaching staff. He joined as third-base coach in 1973 — under Hall of Fame manager Walter Alston — became the Dodgers’ manager in 1976 and led the club until 1996. During his time as manager, he guided Los Angeles to four National League pennants and World Series championships in 1981 and 1988.
Lasorda was named National League Manager of the Year in 1983 and 1988, managed four All-Star Games, was named to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1997 and saw his No. 2 jersey retired by the Dodgers. After retiring from the Dodgers dugout, he managed the U.S. baseball team at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, leading the squad to defeat the heavily favored Cuba and win gold. His reputation as one of baseball’s most beloved and recognizable figures only grew with age. A passionate ambassador for both the Dodgers and the city of Los Angeles he died in 2021 at 93.
RELATED: Tommy Lasorda Dies: Los Angeles Dodgers Legend & Baseball Hall Of Famer Was 93
Coming off the Netflix serial killer thriller The Whisper Man, which amassed around 55 million views during its first two weeks on the platform, De Niro next will be seen in Focker-in-Law, the fourth entry in the Fockers film series, out November 25. He is repped by CAA and Grubman Shire Meiselas & Sacks.
The director of the 2022 Channing Tatum starrer Dog and the upcoming Amazon MGM motorcycle racing drama Isle of Man, Carolin is Tatum’s producing partner at Free Association. As a producer, his credits include the Magic Mike films, Logan Lucky and Adam Sandler’s Spaceman, to name a few. He’s also exec produced titles including this year’s Sundance prize winner Josephine and is repped by CAA, Range Media Partners, and Hansen Jacobson Teller.
Gallo is repped by Gang Tyre Ramer; Clark is with CAA and Untitled.
