The director of 'Capote' to pitch in on 'Moneyball'?

Seems as though Bennett Miller is in, but read this from Variety:


Columbia Pictures is handing the ball to helmer Bennett Miller for its pic "Moneyball."

The "Capote" director is in negotiations to take the helm of the Brad Pitt starrer.

Real-life story is based on Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane, who defied conventional wisdom and even his own scouts by fielding a baseball team of castoffs to create the ultimate underdogs en route to one of the most unlikely winning streaks in the history of professional sports.

Steve Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin penned the script, which is based on Michael Lewis' best-selling tome. Stan Chervin wrote an earlier draft.

Steven Soderbergh had been attached to direct the pic, which is considered a tricky sell overseas given baseball's limited appeal outside of the U.S. Columbia has been working to get the project back on track after studio topper Amy Pascal pulled the plug on the film just days before lensing was going to begin after reading Soderbergh's rewrite.

With indie-weaned Miller in the director's chair, project's budget will likely be downsized, though no decision has been made yet.

Insiders say that after Soderbergh fell off the project, studio targeted two indie directors for the job: Miller and "(500) Days of Summer" helmer Marc Webb.

"Moneyball" is being produced by Michael De Luca, Scott Rudin and Rachael Horovitz. Matt Tolmach and Jonathan Kadin are overseeing for the studio.

-Thoughts?