Sumith Prasad
The filming of Luke Wilson and Greg Kinnear-starrer ‘You Gotta Believe’ has wrapped in Toronto. Based on a true story, the film revolves around Fort Worth-based Westside Little League team as they “dedicate their season to a player’s dying father and, in the process, defy all odds to make it to the Little League Baseball World Series championship in a game that became an ESPN classic,” the logline reads. The shooting of the movie began on June 12, 2023, and concluded on July 26, 2023.
The film was shot prominently in Toronto, Ontario. Oakville Little League, based in Oakville, a part of the Greater Toronto Area, hosted the production of the film in the second half of June and the first half of July. Toronto is known as the “Hollywood North” due to the number of famed productions that shoot in the region. ‘Suits,’ ‘Reacher,’ ‘Black Mirror,’ ‘What We Do in the Shadows,’ ‘Wednesday,’ ‘Schitt’s Creek,’ and ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ are only a few of the popular productions filmed in the city.
The shooting of the film also took place in Labatt Park, a baseball stadium located in the city of London in Ontario. The crew of the movie transformed the stadium into a Little League baseball diamond for filming. Arnold Anderson Stadium in Brantford, Ontario, the home of the Brantford Red Sox, is another stadium where the sports drama was shot.
Ty Roberts, who is known for directing ‘12 Mighty Orphans,’ is at the helm of the film. His other credits as a director are ‘The Iron Orchard’ and ‘This Side of the Dirt.’ “We are excited to bring this touching story to life with our amazing cast. This tale of grit and determination will inspire audiences of all ages. Some of the most compelling stories come from sports, no matter what age. We are honored to partner with Little League Baseball and Softball to bring Bobby and Jon’s story to the screen,” the director said in a statement.
Wilson, who is known for playing Richie Tenenbaum and Anthony Adams in Wes Anderson’s ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ and ‘Bottle Rocket’ respectively, plays the dying father, Bobby Ratliff. The actor’s recent credits include Jeff Cooper in ‘Fired on Mars,’ Cal in ‘The Best Man,’ Lawrence Turoff in ‘Miranda’s Victim,’ Pat Dugan/S.T.R.I.P.E. in ‘Stargirl,’ Rick in ‘Look Both Ways,’ Rusty Russell in ‘12 Mighty Orphans,’ etc.
Greg Kinnear, who is known for portraying Simon Bishop in Jack Nicholson-starrer ‘As Good as It Gets’ and Richard Hoover in ‘Little Miss Sunshine,’ plays Westside’s Coach Jon Kelly. Kinnear’s major credits include Tom Lockwood in ‘You,’ Brian Miller in ‘Black Bird,’ Terry Phelps in ‘Shining Vale,’ Glen Bateman in ‘The Stand,’ Bill Shepherd in ‘House of Cards,’ etc.
The rest of the cast includes Sarah Gadon (‘True Detective’ and ‘Letterkenny’) as Patti Ratliff, Molly Parker (‘Lost in Space’) as Kathy Kelly, Patrick Renna (‘GLOW’) as Kliff Young, Connor McMahon (‘Homemade Christmas’) as Robert Ratliff, Etienne Kellici (‘Fellow Travelers’) as Walker Kelly, etc. Lane Garrison, who co-wrote Roberts’ ‘12 Mighty Orphans,’ penned the movie. He also co-wrote Poppy Delevingne-starrer ‘Spy Intervention’ and Katrina Bowden-starrer ‘The Divorce Party.’ Santa Rita Film Co., the production company behind the film, is yet to announce the release date of the sports drama.
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