One of the greatest sports anecdotes of all time is now being made into a feature film, as Deadline reports that O’Shea Jackson, Jr., who played his famous father Ice Cube in Straight Outta Compton, has been tapped for the starring role in Dock, a movie about former Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher and all-around fascinating dude Dock Ellis. Ellis—who played for the New York Yankees, Oakland Athletics, Texas Rangers, and New York Mets as well as the Pirates in his decade-long MLB career—admitted after his retirement that he had never pitched a game sober, an impressive feat considering that he had helped lead both the Pirates and the Yankees to World Series wins.
Ellis’ most infamous exploit, though, is without a doubt the no-hitter game he pitched on June 12, 1970—exactly 47 years ago today—while high on LSD. Ellis had apparently forgotten he had to pitch that day and dropped some acid in anticipation of a leisurely afternoon off in Los Angeles, only to be told by one of his friends that he was slated to pitch later that night. One cab ride and a couple of Dexamyl speed pills later, and Ellis pitched an eight-walk, 2-0 victory against the San Diego Padres.
Ellis was known for his outspoken nature, which translated to a willingness to stand up to racism in the MLB during his baseball career and a career as a counselor for professional athletes struggling with drug abuse after he retired. The script, from up-and-comer Joey Poach, is the first to be developed under a new partnership between Ice Cube’s Cube Vision and Hong-Kong based media company AID Partners, and is being produced by David Permut, Jeff Kwatinetz, and Ice Cube. No director has been chosen as of yet.