t’s hard to believe, but it’s been thirty-four years since Tom Hanks last starred in a baseball movie.
Indeed, his classic baseball film, A League of Their Own, came out way back in 1992. Now, after more than three decades away from the sport on the big screen, Hanks is finally returning with The Comeback, which has just received a prime July 30, 2027 release date from Sony—the same studio that released A League of Their Own.
Directed by Marielle Heller, who previously worked with Hanks on A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, The Comeback has another key similarity to A League of Their Own in that it hails from a female director, just as Penny Marshall directed the 1992 classic. Heller also adapted the screenplay from a short story by Dave Eggers. In it, Tom Hanks plays a pitching coach whose life undergoes a major change after he’s beaned in the head by a hit ball while standing on the mound.
The film is produced by Hanks’ own Playtone, alongside Major League Baseball itself. The release date is well timed, arriving in the middle of baseball season—coincidentally (or perhaps not) the same release window A League of Their Own enjoyed. Hopefully Hanks gets another classic line that can live up to, “There’s no crying in baseball.”
A League of Their Own became a classic and also helped Hanks rebound after two notable disappointments in 1990—Joe Versus the Volcano and The Bonfire of the Vanities. It also kicked off one of the greatest runs any actor has ever enjoyed, with Hanks following it up with Philadelphia, Forrest Gump, Apollo 13, and Saving Private Ryan.
Oddly, despite the success of A League of Their Own, Hanks never made another baseball movie—until now.
Of course, Hanks currently has the number one movie in the world with Toy Story 5, in which he reprises Woody the Cowboy. Next year he’ll also be seen in Apple TV+’s highly anticipated Greyhound 2, the sequel to his 2020 WWII drama, which remains one of the streamer’s most popular original films.
As far as baseball movies go, here’s hoping The Comeback proves worthy of following A League of Their Own, which, for my money, ranks just behind Field of Dreams and Bull Durham and maybe a hair ahead of Major League (just a hair, mind you!) among the greatest baseball movies ever made. In fact, on our list of the greatest sports films of all time (not about boxing), it right up there!
Are you looking forward to seeing Hanks return to the baseball diamond? Let us know in the comments!
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