Robert De Niro is in talks to star as Tommy Lasorda, the late two-time World Series-winning manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Hall of Famer, in the working-titled “Tommy & Me” at Skydance Sports, TheWrap has learned.
“Magic Mike’s Last Dance” filmmaker Reid Carolin is attached to direct. The script is written by George Gallo, Cambron Clark and Carolin. Plot details are being kept under wraps.
On the producing side, Skydance Sports is serving as lead studio, with Jesse Sisgold, Jason T. Reed and Sandino Moya-Smith producing; Mandalay Pictures’ Peter Guber; Intuition Productions’ Keri Selig and Diane Galardi; and Free Association’s Reid and Garret Levitz.
Born in Pennsylvania to Italian immigrants, Lasorda got his start in professional baseball when he signed with the Philadelphia Phillies as an amateur free agent in 1945. Four years later, his pitching caught the attention of the Brooklyn Dodgers, who signed him to a minor league contract. He made only one start for the Dodgers in May 1955, getting hooked after one inning in which he threw three wild pitches.
But while his career as a player was full of struggles, his legacy truly began once he hung up his glove. In 1960, the newly minted Los Angeles Dodgers hired him as a scout, and he began working his way up the ranks, developing his skills as a manager in the minors and overseas leagues. In 1973, Dodgers manager Walter Alston hired him as the team’s third-base coach, grooming him to be his replacement. Sure enough, four years later, Lasorda became the manager of the Dodgers following Alston’s retirement.
Lasorda would go on to win four National League pennants and two World Series championships during his 20-year career as Dodgers manager.
In the final years of his life, Lasorda took a special advisory role for the Dodgers, assisting in scouting and coaching while appearing at various events as an ambassador for the team. He was frequently seen at Dodger Stadium in a seat just a few feet away from the dugout where he coached for two decades. In all, Lasorda spent 71 years of his life as a member of the Dodgers organization, the longest association anyone has had with the team. Lasorda passed away in 2021.
De Niro most recently starred in “The Whisper Man” on Netflix. He is repped by by CAA and Grubman Shire Meiselas & Sacks.
Reid is repped by CAA, Range Media Partners and Hansen Jacobson Teller. Gallo is repped by Gang Tyre Ramer; Clark is with CAA and Untitled.
Deadline first reported the news.
