New on Sports Illustrated: Biopic on Randy Arozarena in the Works After Breakout Postseason

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Arozarena set records for most home runs and hits in a single postseason during Tampa Bay's World Series run.

Following his record-setting playoff run that saw him set a new record for home runs (10) and hits (29) in a single postseason, the Randy Arozarena story is reportedly on its way to the silver screen.

Wonderfilm Media is in early stages of production on a biopic around Arozarena,

according to The Hollywood Reporter. The film's screenplay will be penned by Brad Gann, whose writing credits include 2006's 'Invincible' about the unlikely NFL career of Vince Papale; and 2011's 'Soul Surfer' about surfer Bethany Hamilton, who survived a horrific shark attack before recovering and returning to professional surfing.

Arozarena defected from Cuba to Mexico in 2015 before signing with the Cardinals in 2016. He made his major league debut in 2019 before getting traded to the Rays in January 2020. Arozarena missed the first five weeks of this season after contracting COVID-19, but eventually recovered and made his Tampa Bay debut on Aug. 30.

“Randy’s story is so inspirational—his journey grabs at your heart and this film will explore the triumphs of the human spirit when driven and focused,” Wonderfilm’s Bret Saxon said in a statement.

Arozarena grew up a talented soccer player in addition to his exploits on the diamond—his younger brother, Raiko, is a professional goalkeeper playing in Mexico. His father's death in 2014, when Aroznarena was just 15 years old, spurred him into pursuing a professional baseball carer in the U.S.

“You honestly just have to risk your life for your family,” Arozarena said to Juan Toribio of MLB.com earlier this month. “I took the chance and thankfully, I got here without any problems, and now I’m representing the Tampa Bay Rays.”

Production on the Arozarena film is expected to begin in late 2021. It will be produced by Jeff Bowler and Saxon, with William J. Macdonald, Alex Zakrzeski, John Lewis and Gregg Backer serving as executive producers.

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