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 casting team is holding an open casting call in Atlanta, GA for all types of people to work as fully paid background performers. The Atlanta portion of filming will begin in June, 2013. Filming has previously taken 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”.
Million Dollar Arm Open Casting Call Details
The following information was sent to me directly by the casting director.
The extras casting directors in Atlanata is seeking people to work as fully paid background performers in the Walt Disney Pictures feature film “Million Dollar Arm”. The film is shooting this summer in Atlanta, CA and an open casting call is now scheduled.
• All types and ages 18 and over only. (See below for minor submissions)
• No prior experience is needed.
Special Needs:
• Real cricket players.
• Anyone with the appearance of being from India, Sri Lanka , Nepal or that region.
• They are also casting for a Hollywood Hills Mansion party scene for two nights full of cameos by celebrities etc.
• Cheerleaders.
Where:
AMTC Atlanta
2000 Powers Ferry Road SE
Marietta, GA 30067
Northwest corner of Powers Ferry Rd SE and Windy Hill Rd SE above Mellow Mushroom Pizza. There is plenty of Free Parking in a structure at the location. Please use Google Maps or GPS for best directions
When:
Friday June 7th 2013
Arrive any time between 1:00pm and 7:00pm
Please bring two legal forms of ID, a pen and a CURRENT, 4×6 color photo – photo must NOT be professional and it must look like you. Please do not bring professional headshots. No experience needed. They will be taking photos of you so please dress to impress in your best VIP party wardrobe and well-groomed with hair and makeup done to look like you are going to a hot Hollywood party. Please do not call the casting directors or AMTC open call location regarding information.
If you are located near Atlanta, GA and can not make it to the open call, you can still submit by email.
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.
Minors can also be considered by email submission. Parents/Guardians of minors should email one RECENT photo, a full-length shot. Children should submit a cute picture – well lit, wearing something cute. Should be a non-professional photo.
Photo, age, and contact information should be sent to the following:
KidCastATL@gmail.com
Talent must and be legally eligible to work in Atlanta, GA and the United States.
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
Alessi Berona Casting
Film Crew and Production Staff:
Experienced film crew members and production staff in the Atlanta area can submit resumes to the following:
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.
