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15 Years Ago, One of the Best Sports Movies Ever Nearly Lost Brad Pitt to Script Trouble-Then It Earned Six Oscar Nominations

Fifteen years ago, Moneyball reached theaters after a troubled path to production. The 2011 sports drama starred Brad Pitt as Oakland Athletics general manager Billy Beane. Meanwhile, the film told how Beane used player data to build a team with a limited budget. It adapted Michael Lewis’ nonfiction book about the 2002 Oakland A’s.

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Scoop News DeskOscar · Published Wednesday, September 23, 2026 at 2:54 PM UTCUpdated Wednesday, September 23, 2026 at 3:40 PM UTC

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Executives wanted a story that felt more emotional and easier for a broad audience to follow. “Moneyball appeared dead,” the Los Angeles Times reported in 2011 .

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