The Dink, a new sports comedy from Red Hour Films and Rivulet Films, has begun principal photography in Los Angeles, uniting a powerhouse cast featuring SNL’s Chloe Fineman, comedian Patton Oswalt, Australian breakout Aaron Chen, Cobra Kai’s Martin Kove, Rick and Morty’s Chris Parnell, Dodgeball’s Christine Taylor, and tennis legend John McEnroe. The film, directed by Josh Greenbaum (Spaceballs sequel, Will & Harper), takes a humorous swing at the rising sport of pickleball, with an original screenplay by Workaholics writer Sean Clements.
Following a wave of high-profile casting, including Jake Johnson, Mary Steenburgen, Ed Harris, Ben Stiller, and Andy Roddick announced just last month, The Dink follows a has-been tennis pro desperate to regain his father’s approval and save a struggling club. The catch? He has to face his ultimate challenge: playing pickleball, the sport he swore he’d never touch.
Stiller, in addition to co-producing the film under his Red Hour banner with Oscar-winner John Lesher, also recently worked with Rivulet on Nutcrackers, which premiered at TIFF and has since been picked up by Hulu and Disney+ for a November 29 release. Rivulet’s Rob Paris and Mike Witherill will co-produce, while strategic advisor Rick Steele joins as Executive Producer alongside Clements and Greenbaum. Adding expertise to the production is celebrated tennis coach Brad Gilbert—fresh off his work with Grand Slam champion Coco Gauff—as technical consultant, with his wife Kim, having collaborated recently with Luca Guadagnino on Challengers, starring Zendaya.