Yasiel Puig’s escape to America is headed to the big screen…
Brett Ratner and his RatPac Entertainment have acquired the rights to Jesse Katz’ article Escape From Cuba: Yasiel Puig’s Untold Journey to the Dodgers, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Ratner will produce the film adaptation of the Los Angeles Times article with Beau Flynn via his FlynnPictureCo. banner.
The article, which appeared in the newspaper earlier this, chronicles the 23-year-old Cuban professional baseball outfielder and Los Angeles Dodgers superstar’s repeated attempts to flee his native Cuba.
Puig finally succeeded when a wealthy but shady sponsor arranged for smugglers working for one of Mexico’s murderous drug cartels to pick Puig up in a speedboat and take him to the Yucatan Peninsula. But when his backer allegedly did not immediately pay the agreed-upon fee, the smugglers held Puig captive for almost three weeks.
His trek to America ultimately ended successfully with a lucrative deal with the Major League Baseball team – but the piece also highlighted the dangers other Cubans face when trying to find a better life in the U.S.
Puig played for the Cuban national baseball team in the 2008 World Junior Baseball Championship, winning a bronze medal. He defected from Cuba in 2012, and signed a seven-year, $42 million contract with the Dodgers. He made his MLB debut on June 3, 2013. In 2013, Puig hit .319 in 104 games with 19 home runs, and was selected by Baseball America to its annual All-Rookie team.
