Kevin Costner Will Do A Bull Durham Sequel Under One Condition
Known for films like "Dances with Wolves" and "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves," and most recently, "Yellowstone," Kevin Costner is still one of the most well-known actors in Hollywood. During the late 1980s and mid-1990s, Costner also spent time doing a few sport-related films that have become iconic in each sport's respective world. For golf, 1996's "Tin Cup" is held in high regard amongst fans (via Golf Digest), and it is often replayed on Golf Channel to this day. Both "Field of Dreams" and "Bull Durham" are high on the list for baseball fans (via MLB.com).
"Bull Durham," directed by Ron Shelton, follows a minor league baseball team called The Bulls who have a fan in poetry lover Annie Savoy (Susan Sarandon) who likes to take a new lover from the team every season and give them a nickname. She decides to seduce rookie pitcher Ebby Calvin Laloosh (Tim Robbins) and nickname him "Nuke," while veteran catcher Crash Davis (Kevin Costner) is brought in to help him hone his pitching skills.
By the end of the film, Savoy and Davis' budding romance comes to fruition, as Davis retires as a baseball player, Savoy says she is done with her annual affairs, and they both return to Durham. Davis also mentions that he might want to become a manager for a minor league team in Visalia before the film comes to a close on a dancing scene between Savoy and Davis. After that ending, many fans of the film have wondered for years if there would ever be a sequel given the open-ended nature of Davis' comment. Here's what Costner has to say about a possible "Bull Durham" sequel.
Kevin Costner will only return for Bull Durham 2 if Ron Shelton thinks its good
In an interview on the Dan Patrick Show, Kevin Costner responded to a question from Patrick regarding his character of Crash Davis returning as a manager for a minor league team in a "Bull Durham" sequel with a relatively direct answer:
"I could if Ron [Shelton] wrapped his arms around it and got it to that point where he thought it was good and I thought it was good...I'll do a sequel, it hasn't been a part of my career makeup but..."
Costner went on to explain that he feels sequels nowadays that follow good films never really end up hitting the mark, only for studios to apologize for it and then put more money into a third film. However, the Academy Award-winning actor did seem open to the idea of a "Bull Durham" sequel under the right conditions — specifically if the film's original director, Ron Shelton, was on board and thought the script was good enough. This is relatively unsurprising, as Costner has continued to focus on relationships with directors for projects like "Yellowstone." Only time will tell if baseball fans finally get to see Crash Davis on-screen again in the near future.