Big swing: Tom Hanks' new baseball movie recruits another A-list star

Right, so there’s a fresh baseball film on the cards, and this one’s got a lineup that’s worth paying attention to — both in front of and behind the camera. Tom Hanks is heading back to the diamond, with a fair few familiar faces tagging along, and it’s all coming from Sony Pictures.

The film’s called The Comebacker, and if you’ve got a soft spot for the sport or just want to see Hanks in baseball gear again, this is probably worth sticking on your calendar. Marielle Heller is in the director’s chair (she gave us A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, also with Hanks), and the script is based on a short story by Dave Eggers — who’s no stranger to screen adaptations himself.

The Comebacker is slated for a UK cinema release on 30 July, 2027.

The Cast: An All-Star Roster

Sterling K. Brown has just signed on, and he’s not exactly an unknown. Brown, for anyone who somehow missed This Is Us, picked up an Emmy for his trouble there, and he was up for an Oscar with American Fiction. Oh, and if you spotted him as N’Jobu in Black Panther, that was him too. In this one, Brown turns up as the baseball team’s manager.

Callum Turner is in for the role of the promising young pitcher. Hanks, who seems unable to escape baseball movies (not that anyone’s complaining), is cast as the pitching coach. If you’re keeping score, this is Hanks’ return to baseball after A League of Their Own back in 1992, so he’s hardly new to the dugout.

• Tom Hanks: Pitching coach, returning to baseball films after decades
• Sterling K. Brown: Team manager, known for This Is Us, American Fiction, Black Panther
• Callum Turner: Up-and-coming pitcher
• Patricia Clarkson: Coach’s wife, Oscar-nominated, with credits in Pieces of April, Shutter Island, and The Green Mile
• Amy Madigan: Team owner, appeared in Field of Dreams, Gone Baby Gone, Weapons

Quick trivia for Eggers fans: this marks Hanks’ third time bringing the author’s work to the big screen. He previously starred in A Hologram for the King and The Circle, so clearly there’s a comfort zone here.

What’s It Actually About?

The film follows an older baseball reporter who, in textbook dramatic fashion, rekindles his love for the game when a new talent arrives on the scene. The main thrust seems to be the evolving relationship between the young pitcher and Hanks’ grizzled coach, all set against the backdrop of a reporter trying to find his spark again. If you like your sports dramas with a dose of nostalgia and a bit of heart, it ticks all the boxes.

It isn’t a vanity project either: Major League Baseball is officially involved this time, so don’t expect anyone wearing uniforms that look like they were stitched up last-minute by an intern.

Marielle Heller, Hanks, Gary Goetzman, and Leah Holzer are all producing, so there’s decent pedigree across the board.