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Charlie Sheen‘s iconic “Wild Thing” character would play an important role in his planned new edition of the Major League franchise.
David S. Ward, who directed and wrote the original, tells The Hollywood Reporter that Ricky “Wild Thing” Vaughn would be a mentor of sorts to a young player in the movie which would reunite many cast members from the original box office hit.
“It’s 20 years later and Charlie’s character has been out of baseball since he gave up the walk-off homerun in the seventh game of the World Series,” says Ward. “But the team wants him back to mentor this young fireballing relief pitcher.”
Ward declined to comment on reports that the young character in need of mentoring by Vaughn is written as his long-estranged, out-of-wedlock son.
In the new screenplay, Willie Hayes (Wesley Snipes) and Pedro Cerrano (Dennis Haysbert) are coaches of the team. There will be three new young characters to introduce a new generation of players to audiences.
Ward reveals that Corbin Bernsen has a part in his screenplay. Sheen himself was concerned that Bernsen might get snubbed out of the movie.
“There will be something for Corbin in this,” says Ward. “That was an early draft where he wasn’t. But I figured out a way to incorporate him.”
Morgan Creek production company now has the script and Ward reveals a recent reading went “really well.” The moviemakers still need a greenlight and have to deal with complications — such as the fact that Snipes is in a Pennsylvania prison cell for tax evasion.
But Sheen is the key player. “There is no movie without Wild Thing,” says Ward.
“Charlie is interested in doing it,” he adds. “We’re taking the first steps on it. Now it’s just a matter of putting the movie together in the timeframe we have. Charlie has a window coming up.”
Sheen threw a weekend party with major league baseball players such as Giants ace Brian Wilson during which the original Major League was screened.
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