Robert De Niro in Talks to Play Dodgers Legend Tommy Lasorda in TOMMY & ME
Robert De Niro may be heading to the Dodgers dugout. The Oscar-winning actor is in talks to play legendary Los Angeles Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda in Tommy & Me, a new Skydance Sports movie that will be directed by Reid Carolin.
It’s a pretty solid casting choice for a larger-than-life baseball personality whose career stretched across decades and included two World Series championships.
Details on exactly what part of Lasorda’s life the movie will focus on haven’t been revealed, but there’s obviously a lot of territory the filmmakers could explore. With DeNiro being more on the elderly side, I’m sure it will take place in his later years while he was manager of the Dogders in the ‘80s.
Skydance Sports is the lead studio on the project, with Jesse Sisgold, Jason T. Reed, and Sandino Moya-Smith producing for the company. Peter Guber is producing for Mandalay Pictures, along with Keri Selig and Diane Galardi of Intuition Productions. George Gallo, Cambron Clark, and Carolin wrote the screenplay.
Lasorda’s road to becoming one of the most recognizable figures in Dodgers history was a long one. He started his professional career with the Philadelphia Phillies organization, served a brief stint in the U.S. Army, returned to the minor leagues, and joined the Brooklyn Dodgers organization in 1949.
His playing career was largely spent in the minors, though he did pitch in the majors for both the Dodgers and Kansas City Athletics. His real mark on baseball came after his playing days.
Lasorda worked his way through the Dodgers organization as a scout and minor-league manager before reaching the major-league coaching staff. In 1973, he became the team’s third-base coach under Hall of Fame manager Walter Alston. Three years later, Lasorda took over as manager, a job he would hold until 1996.
During those two decades, Lasorda led Los Angeles to four National League pennants and World Series championships in 1981 and 1988. He was named National League Manager of the Year in 1983 and 1988, managed four All-Star Games, entered the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1997, and had his No. 2 retired by the Dodgers.
Even retirement from the Dodgers dugout didn’t end his time managing baseball. Lasorda took charge of the U.S. team at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and led the Americans to a gold medal after defeating heavily favored Cuba.
Lasorda remained closely associated with the Dodgers and Los Angeles for the rest of his life. He died in 2021 at the age of 93.
De Niro taking on Lasorda could be a lot of fun to see. Lasorda had a huge personality, plenty of fire, and a career packed with memorable moments, giving the actor plenty to work with if the deal comes together.
De Niro is coming off Netflix’s serial killer thriller The Whisper Man. He’ll next appear in Focker-in-Law, the fourth installment of the Fockers franchise, which is scheduled to open November 25.
Carolin previously co-directed the 2022 Channing Tatum film Dog and is also directing the upcoming Amazon MGM motorcycle racing drama Isle of Man.
What do you think about De Niro playing Tommy Lasorda?