Bob Uecker let the cat out of the bag last year, announcing at a sports game (well, of course!) that a new "Major League" movie was in the works.
I had the chance to talk to David S.Ward, the writer/director of the hit 1989 movie today who backed up Uecker's comments, confirming that there is indeed a new film in the works - and unlike the last sequel (the poorly-received "Major League : Back in the Minors'' that Ward wasn't involved with), it'll reunite the original cast.
"We're actually talking about doing one right now. I've written, what I see, as Major League 3. We're putting that together as we speak - in fact, next week I'm off to talk to James Robinson at Morgan Creek about it.
"It's 20 years later, and Wild Thing comes out of retirement to work with this 19-year-old player", Ward says of the storyline. "We've actually got three new characters in the new film. And if the new film is popular, they could carry the franchise on".
Though Ward, whose other credits include the Oscar Winner "The Sting'' and "Sleepless in Seattle'', hopes to get Tom Berenger, Corbin Bernsen and even, Wesley Snipes* back for "Major League 3'', he's so far only spoken to Charlie Sheen about it.
"He's excited to do it if and when it happens", says Ward. "But he can't shoot it this year, because he's back doing Two-and-a-Half Men, but we could potentially shoot it next year - in his hiatus from the show".
"Major League" is one of my favourite films (as you'll soon discover). I saw it as part of a late night triple feature with "The Abyss" and "Skin Deep" at a not-so-crowded theatre in 1989. I remember just how pumped "Major League" got the audience - - we were literally standing in the aisles, or on our seats, cheering for the Cleveland Indians. And folks went nuts when ‘Wild Thing' walked through the gate and onto the field. It was just a big, fat crowd-pleaser. I couldn't find a Cleveland Indian's cap any faster that week - and I believe, though covered in dust, I still have it somewhere here.
Looking forward to this one - a lot.
Look for my exclusive interview with Ward in the coming days.
* Interesting to note that Snipes wanted to actually reprise his role as Willie Mays Hays in Ward's sequel, "Major League II''. It was the studio that didn't want him back - knowing his fee had risen considerably since the release of the first film.
