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Movie planned about life of Tampa Bay Rays sensation Randy Arozarena

Tampa Bay lost the World Series, but Rays rookie outfielder Randy Arozarena rocketed to stardom during the postseason. Now, the player nicknamed El Cohete Cubano -- the Cuban Rocket -- will have a biopic produced about his life.

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Officials with Wonderfilm Media said they are in the early stages of production on a film about Arozarena, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The film’s screenplay will be written by Brad Gann, who penned 2006′s “Invincible” about the unlikely NFL career of Vince Papale; and “Soul Surfer,” the 2011 film about surfer Bethany Hamilton, who survived a shark attack and returned to professional surfing, Sports Illustrated reported.

Arozarena made it look easy during the 2020 playoffs as he set single-season postseason records for home runs (10) and hits (29). He was named the MVP of the American League Championship Series against the Houston Astros before the Rays lost in six games to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series.

“He is the best player on the planet,” teammate Kevin Kiermaier told the Tampa Bay Times. “It’s incredible.”

However, Arozarena’s trip to the major leagues was more dangerous than most prospects. He survived a treacherous trip on a boat five years ago from his native Cuba to Mexico and a positive test for COVID-19 earlier this year.

In June 2015, Arozarena weathered an eight-hour boat ride and landed at Isla Mujeres, just off the Mexican coast from Cancún, according to The New York Times.

“It was incredible,” Arozarena said. “I wouldn’t want to do that again because I risked my life at sea for eight hours and I didn’t know what would happen. I saw waves 5-6 meters high in the Gulf of Mexico. It was very bad. But I had to risk my life to be able to survive and help my family.”

Arozarena made his major league debut in 2019 with the St. Louis Cardinals before he was traded to the Rays in January 2020. Arozarena missed the first five weeks of this season after contracting COVID-19, but eventually recovered and made his Tampa Bay debut on Aug. 30.

“Randy’s story is so inspirational -- his journey grabs at your heart and this film will explore the triumphs of the human spirit when driven and focused,” Wonderfilm’s Bret Saxon said in a statement.

Production on the film is expected to begin in late 2021, Sports Illustrated reported. It will be produced by Jeff Bowler and Saxon, with William J. Macdonald, Alex Zakrzeski, John Lewis and Gregg Backer as executive producers, according to the magazine.