Based on the true story of Moe Berg|Jun. 22, 2018|USA|94 Min.|R
Genre: Drama;Thriller;War
Description: “The Catcher Was a Spy” is a 2018 American war film directed by Ben Lewin and written by Robert Rodat, based on the book by Nicholas Dawidoff. The movie stars Paul Rudd as Moe Berg, a former baseball player who becomes involved in espionage during World War II for the U.S. government. The film also features Mark Strong, Sienna Miller, Jeff Daniels, Tom Wilkinson, Giancarlo Giannini, Hiroyuki Sanada, Guy Pearce, and Paul Giamatti. It premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival and was released on June 22, 2018, by IFC Films.
The story follows Moe Berg, a 15-year baseball veteran, who joins the war effort as a spy to prevent Nazi Germany from developing the first atomic bomb. In 1936, while playing for the Boston Red Sox, Berg participates in a goodwill baseball exhibition tour of Japan. During this trip, he covertly films Tokyo’s harbor and Navy shipyards from a hospital rooftop. His initiative and language skills impress the Office of Strategic Services, leading to his recruitment.
Berg’s mission takes him to Italy and Switzerland, where he is tasked with assessing whether Werner Heisenberg, the Nobel Prize-winning physicist leading the Nazi atomic bomb project, is close to achieving his goal. If necessary, Berg must assassinate Heisenberg to stop the Nazis.
The film project was announced on April 26, 2016, with Ben Lewin as director and Robert Rodat adapting the biography. Paul Rudd was cast as Moe Berg, with production handled by PalmStar Media. In February 2017, Guy Pearce, Jeff Daniels, Paul Giamatti, Sienna Miller, and Giancarlo Giannini joined the cast. Filming began on February 13, with locations in Prague and Boston. Hiroyuki Sanada was cast in March, followed by Tom Wilkinson, Connie Nielsen, and Shea Whigham in April. Principal photography lasted 30 days.
Cast director: Ben Lewin
Cast actor: Paul Rudd, Mark Strong, Sienna Miller, Connie Nielsen, Shea Whigham, Hiroyuki Sanada, Tom Wilkinson, William Hope, Giancarlo Giannini, Pierfrancesco Favino
Original name: The Catcher Was a Spy