Ben Stiller, Jake Johnson Team for Josh Greenbaum’s Pickleball Comedy ‘The Dink’

Jake Johnson, Mary Steenburgen, Ben Stiller, Ed Harris and tennis pro Andy Roddick are ready to play some pickleball in Josh Greenbaum’s upcoming sports comedy “The Dink.” Red Hour Films and Rivulet Films are re-teaming to produce the film, which begins production in November in Los Angeles. Greenbaum is working from a screenplay by Sean Clements.

According to the official synopsis, “The Dink” “follows a washed-up tennis pro (Johnson) who, in trying to save a club in crisis and win his father’s respect, is forced to break a solemn vow and do the one thing he swore he’d never do: play pickleball.”

John Lesher and Stiller are producing through their Red Hour Films banner alongside Rivulet’s Rob Paris and Mike Witherill. Johnson will also serve as a producer. Stiller and Rivulet’s most recent collaboration was “Nutcrackers,” a heartfelt comedy directed by David Gordon Green, that opened the Toronto International Film Festival. (It also marked Stiller’s first starring role since 2017’s “The Meyerowitz Stories.” Hulu ended up buying “Nutcrackers” in a competitive situation and will release it on the streamer this Christmas.

Rivulet will also be fully financing “The Dink” and the company’s senior strategic advisor Rick Steele will serve as executive producer alongside Clements and Greenbaum.

Greenbaum’s latest film, “Will & Harper,” is a hilarious and sometimes heartbreaking road movie that follows Will Ferrell and his frequent writing partner and close friend Harper Steele, as they embark on a trip following Steele’s transition. It premieres on Netflix on Friday. He is also set to start on production on a “Spaceballs” sequel for Amazon MGM Studios starring Josh Gad and written by Gad, Benji Samit and Dan Hernandez.

Beyond returning to acting, Stiller is in post-production on season 2 of Apple TV+’s hit series “Severance,” where he serves as a director and executive producer.

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