The rise and rise of US comedian Demetri Martin continues apace, with today’s news that he’s signed on to star alongside Brad Pitt in Steven Soderbergh’s next movie, Moneyball.
Martin, the likeable, bowl-cut star of the HBO show Important Things With Demetri Martin, has exploded over the past year, with this role added to the lead in Ang Lee’s comedy, Taking Woodstock, which is out later this year.
In Moneyball, he’ll play Paul De Podesta, a Harvard graduate who comes up with a scheme called Earned Run Value, which allows Oakland Athletics’ General Manager, Billy Beane (Pitt) to spot talented players he could hire for comparatively little outlay.
Martin isn’t the only addition to the cast. Soderbergh, as is his wont, has cast several non-actors for the movie, with former Oakland Athletics stars, David Justice and Scott Hatteburg, signing on to play themselves. Daryl Strawberry and Lenny Dykstra will also appear in the movie, being interviewed on-camera about their experiences with Beane.
Steve Zaillian is currently rewriting Stan Chervin’s script, based on Michael Lewis’ non-fiction book. Filming will begin in June.