Lately there has been a growing trend of casting comedians in dramatic films whether it's Todd Barry and Judah Friedlander in Aronofsky's The Wrestler, Patton Oswalt and a whole crew of comedians in Soderbergh's The Informant, or Demetri Martin in Ang Lee's Taking Woodstock. Now Martin has lined up another big role alongside Brad Pitt in Steven Soderbergh's "Moneyball," the adaptation of the Michael Lewis book about ballplayer-turned-Oakland Athletics manager Billy Beane (Pitt) and his attempt to field a competitive team on a slim payroll. Martin will play Paul De Podesta, a Harvard grad 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. Also joining the cast is a group of actual baseball players: former Oakland A's team members David Justice and Scott Hatteberg have signed on to play themselves in the picture, 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 drafted by the New York Mets before becoming a baseball scout. Oscar-winning screenwriter Steve Zaillian is doing a rewrite on a script originated by Stan Chervin. I think Martin is one of funniest comedians working today (watch his show on Comedy Central for proof) and I'm excited to see him transition to movies. Taking Woodstock will be released on Aug. 14th and Moneyball begins shooting in June.
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