Mary Steenburgen (left) and Jake Johnson in 'The Dink.' Courtesy of Apple TV Jake Johnson and Ben Stiller take a swing at embracing pickleball in the trailer for Apple TV‘s forthcoming sports comedy The Dink.
Director Josh Greenbaum’s feature from Apple Original Films is set to begin streaming July 24. Mary Steenburgen, Ed Harris, Patton Oswalt, Chloe Fineman, Chris Parnell, Aaron Chen and tennis star Andy Roddick round out the cast.
The Dink stars Johnson as Dusty Boyd, a has-been former tennis sensation who aggravates an old injury. Although his dad (Harris) is no fan of the growing popularity for pickleball, Dusty begrudgingly agrees to try his luck with the sport alongside new partner Candace (Steenburgen).
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“I know pickleball is sorta dorky, but it’s the fastest road back to tennis for you,” Stiller advises Johnson in the trailer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyVNFzx5Pl8
Greenbaum (Strays) helmed the movie from a script by Sean Clements. Stiller, who produced and starred in the 2004 sports comedy Dodgeball, serves as a producer for The Dink alongside Johnson, John Lesher, Rob Paris and Mike Witherill.
During an interview with Pickleball.com, Johnson noted that his impression of pickleball evolved as he worked on the film.
“I read the script, and I’d never played pickleball. I didn’t give it much thought. I thought of it as, ‘I’ll just pick it up,'” said Johnson, who admitted to gaining appreciation for the sport during his training for the role. “Our director, Josh Greenbaum, wanted to make it a real sports movie, so the pickleball is represented. We shot the hell out of the pickleball stuff, and it looks good.”
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