"Million Dollar Arm" is based on the true story of sports agent J.B. Bernstein.
AB Media Publishing, LLC
Roth Films in association with Mayhem Pictures is now in production on the Walt Disney Pictures true-story live-action feature film "Million Dollar Arm," about a sports agent who discovered baseball pitchers amongst cricket players in India by staging a reality show to discover new talent. The Primetime Emmy award winning casting director is casting various roles for film. Also being cast are extras available to work in Atlanta, GA. The Atlanta portion of filming will begin in June, 2013. Filming is also been taking place in Mumbai, India.
"Million Dollar Arm" is based on the true story of how sports agent J.B. Bernstein discovered professional pitchers Rinku Singh and Dinesh Patel through a reality show he staged in India with cricket players. Bernstein noticed how similar the game's throwing motion was to that of baseball pitchers and created the reality show "Million Dollar Arm" to audition 40,000 cricket players. Not only did he have to teach Singh and Patel the rules of baseball, but he also had to teach them about American culture and speaking English. Bernstein's work paid off when the duo became the first Indian players to sign with pro baseball teams when they got contracts with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Disney casting executives have cast Golden Globe Award winner Jon Hamm to portray the lead role of sports agent J.B. Bernstein. Hamm became a household name when he was cast as advertising executive Don Draper in the AMC drama series Mad Men, a role that earned him five Golden Globe Award nominations with one win. He has also been nominated nine times for Primetime Emmey Awards, and ten times for Screen Actors Guild Awards with two wins. Hamm is no stranger to sports as he was a member of the football, baseball, and swim teams while attending the private John Burroughs School in Ladue, Missouri. Hamm is lined up to produce the film "Dusty and the Big Bad World" starring Jennifer Westfeldt.
Directors Guild of America DGA Award winning Australian filmmaker Craig Gillespie is directing "Million Dollar Arm" from a screenplay written by Academy Award winning scribe Tom McCarthy. Prior to directing feature films, Gillespie worked for fifteen years as a commercial director, earning the Directors Guild of America Award category for "Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Commercials". Gillespie's television series directing credits include the pilot episode of Steven Spielberg's television show "The United States of Tara," and the pilot episode of the ABC show "My Generation". Writer Tom McCarthy has received critical acclaim for his writing/direction work for the independent films "The Station Agent," "The Visitor," and "Win Win".
Primetime Emmy Award nominee Joe Roth and Palak Patel are producing "Million Dollar Arm" for Roth Films, the company that produced such epic Disney films as "Alice in Wonderland," "Oz the Great and Powerful" starring James Franco, Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz, and Michelle Williams. Roth also produced the upcoming "Maleficent" starring Angelina Jolie and Elle Fanning. Mark Ciardi and Gordon Gray are producing for Mayhem Pictures, who also produced another true-story Disney film, "Invincible" based on the story of Vince Papale, a 30-year-old bartender from South Philadelphia who overcame long odds to play for the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles in 1976. Mayhem also produced the Disney films "Miracle," "The Game Plan," "Secretariat," and the upcoming Reese Witherspoon starring vehicle "Wish List".
Extras Casting Call Details
The extras casting director in Atlanta is seeking people who appear to look like they are from India, Sri Lanka or Nepal, as well as twins and cricket players. Both adults and kids are needed.
Interested adult talent should email three photos, as well as their name and stats — height, weight age, and clothing sizes. And cell phone number. There should be one head shot, one shot showing from the waist up, and one full-size shot. Photos should be clear, but they don’t need to be professional.
Parents/Guardians of minors should email one photo, a full-length shot. Children should submit a cute picture - well lit, wearing something cute.
Photos and information should be sent to the following:
Adults: CricketTAtl13@gmail.com
Under-18: KidCastATL@gmail.com
Talent must and be legally eligible to work in Atlanta, GA and the United States.
The 2013 Atlanta Actors Resource Guide eBook comes with free quarterly updates and includes the following information and documents for adults, minors, and foreign talent who would like to work as an actor or extra on film and television productions in the State of Georgia and the United States:
• Georgia Child Labor Entertainment Employment Information Sheet
• Georgia Child Labor Summary Sheet
• Georgia Employment Certificate Guide for Minors Under 18
• USA Child Actor Work Permit Requirements
• Immigration Work Permit Information
• Non-Immigrant Visa Application
In addition to the following Atlanta Actors Resources:
• Atlanta Casting Directors List
• Atlanta Extras Casting Directors List
• Atlanta Talent Agents List
• General Talent Agent Information
• Atlanta Acting Classes and Schools List
• Atlanta Actors Unions and Professional Organizations
• Summer Performing Arts Camps
• Atlanta Headshot Photographers List
• Audition Tips
• How To Make an Audition Video
• Sample Actors Resume
• Sample Beginning Actors Resume
• Sample Cover Letters
• Entertainment Industry Terminology
• PDF Users Guides
The 2013 Actors Resource Guide eBooks are available here.
Principal Actor Casting
See the post titled Headshot and Resume Information regarding how to submit for acting roles.
Submit photos and resumes by mail only.
No phone calls or personal drop-offs.
Los Angeles:
Tineka Becker
Sheila Jaffe
Crossroads of the World
6671 Sunset Blvd.
Building 1509
Suite 104
Los Angeles, CA 90028
Extras Casting
Atlanta:
Bill Marinella Casting
Atlanta Extras Registration
Film Crew and Production Staff:
Experienced film crew members and production staff in the Atlanta area can submit resumes to the following:
milliondollarprods@gmail.com
ABSOLUTELY NO ACTOR OR EXTRAS SUBMISSIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED AT THIS EMAIL ADDRESS.
Production Companies:
Do NOT send photos and resumes to the production companies, as they will most likely end up being thrown away. They do not cast the films, rather they hire casting directors who sort through the thousands of submissions.
Million Dollar Productions, Inc.
725 Arizona Avenue
Suite 302
Santa Monica, CA 90401
Mayhem Pictures
725 Arizona Avenue
Suite 402
Santa Monica, CA 90401
Roth Films
10202 W. Washington Blvd.
David Lean Building
Suite 119
Culver City, CA 90232
Walt Disney Pictures
500 S Buena Vista Street
Burbank, CA 91521
Executive Producer:
Kevin Halloran
Producers:
Mark Ciardi
Gordon Gray
Palak Patel
Joe Roth
Director:
Craig Gillespie
Writers:
Mitch Glazer
Thomas McCarthy
Starring:
Jon Hamm - J.B. Bernstein
Allyn Rachel - Theresa
Aasif Mandvi - Ash Vasudevan
Alan Arkin - Retired Baseball Scout
Story:
Based on a true story. Struggling sports agent JB Bernstein (Jon Hamm) and his partner Aash Shah face shutting down their office until Bernstein gets a brainstorm, a reality TV show called "Million Dollar Arm". A show in the vein of "American Idol," but with baseball - with the goal of finding the first major league baseball player from India, a virtually non-baseball country.
