Disney fields 'Moneyball' author's 'Coach'

LewisDisney is rounding the bases with "Moneyball" author Michael Lewis, not only optioning feature rights to his "Coach: Lessons on the Game of Life," but also giving the best-selling scribe the chance to pen the script.Gil Netter, who teamed with the author on the Oscar-winning tale "The Blind Side," is producing through his Gil Netter Prods. banner, which has a first-look deal with Disney. Based on Lewis' book of the same name, "Coach" tells the true story of Lewis' journey to rediscover his influential baseball mentor, Coach Fitz, whose methods had a tremendous impact on his generation of athletes and leaders."There are teachers with a rare ability to enter a child's mind," Lewis wrote of his former coach in a 2004 NY Times article. "It's as if their ability to get there at all gives them the right to stay forever."Published by W.W. Norton & Company in 2005, "Coach" marks one of several Lewis projects getting Hollywood treatment. The author's groundbreaking book "Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game" was developed by Sony Pictures and has grossed over $100 million worldwide since September. The baseball drama about Oakland A's GM Billy Beane is nommed for six Oscars, including a Best Actor nod for Brad Pitt.Lewis also has the financial tale "Liar's Poker" in development at Warner Bros. as well as the Plan B-produced economic pic "The Big Short" in the works at Paramount. Currently a contributing editor at Vanity Fair, Lewis has also written for The NY Times Magazine, Bloomberg and The New Republic.He is repped by CAA. Contact Stuart Oldham at stuart.oldham@variety.com