The Iron Claw director Sean Durkin reunites with A24 for college baseball series The Art of Fielding
A24 and The Iron Claw’s Sean Durkin are lining up a TV adaptation of a bestselling book — and the choice might raise an eyebrow.
Well, here’s something a bit out of left field – and I do mean that almost literally. Sean Durkin, the director behind The Iron Claw, is teaming up with A24 again, but this time he’s stepping onto the small screen for a story about – wait for it – college baseball. If you were expecting another wrestling saga, think again.
The television rights to Chad Harbach’s novel The Art of Fielding – plus its fresh-off-the-press sequel The Brightness – have landed squarely at A24, with Durkin set to direct and Westward (of House of Cards and Severance fame) onboard to produce.
There’s no word yet on cast, when it might actually come out, or even which platform will get to air it. Right now it’s just “in the works”.
From campus diamond to living room screen
So, what’s the pitch? The whole thing centres on Henry Skrimshander, a college player tipped for baseball greatness – until one disastrous error on the field knocks his whole trajectory off course. Cue a spiral of self-doubt, heightened expectations, and some very tense relationships. The book is less about balls and strikes and more about the pressure cooker of ambition and coming-of-age regrets. How the new sequel will fit in isn’t clear – the TV team haven’t said a peep on that front yet.
A24’s TV scorecard
If you’re wondering whether A24 does much telly: Oh yes. Their past runs include a few bats out of the park. The obvious one is HBO’s Euphoria – that’s the gritty teen drama fronted by Zendaya, with Sydney Sweeney, Jacob Elordi, Alexa Demie, and Hunter Schafer rounding out the main cast. That show’s a juggernaut in itself, all drugs, relationships, and self-destructive spirals.
Then there’s Beef, over on Netflix, which started with Steven Yeun and Ali Wong locked in a mutual vendetta over road rage and escalated wildly over 10 episodes. Bit of an anthology vibe there: series two brought in Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, Charles Melton, and Cailee Spaeny for a brand new saga – this time about a tangled feud between two couples.
And don’t forget The Curse – another dark comedy, with Emma Stone and Nathan Fielder as an odd couple trying (and failing) to launch a home-renovation show, only for things to take a truly bizarre turn.
A24’s screen adaptations have included Euphoria, Beef, and The Curse – with The Art of Fielding now joining the lineup.
This new adaptation is part of A24’s ongoing drive to pull acclaimed novels into sharper, weirder TV territory – and with Durkin again on board, presumably it’ll have more bite than your average sports story.