Stiller, Mets Catcher Go to Hell

February 23, 2001 -- During last year's Subway World Series, New York Yankees fans shouted a lot of hurtful things at New York Mets catcher Mike Piazza. Some of the nicer ones probably told the sideburn-sporting athlete to go to hell.

But in Piazza's cockiest daydreams, we'll bet he never thought he'd be the subject of a major motion picture — especially one called Go to Hell, Mike Piazza.

Comic actor Ben Stiller is producing and may star in a comedy about a Big Apple hot dog vendor who blames the catcher with the pearly whites for ruining his life. The vengeful wiener man gets his chance at revenge when he wins a TV game show that sends him to the major-league All-Star Game.

"We wrote it expressly for Ben," Ryan Oxford, who co-wrote the script with David Rotman, told Variety. "He has this great ability to play characters who feel slighted by the world — when they really are not — and who become obsessed by that."

A director has not yet been named, nor is it clear whether Piazza himself will be involved in the project — but we hope that the photogenic pride and joy of Shea Stadium would be way into the idea of self-deprecation (think John Malkovich in Being John Malkovich).

According to Variety, Universal Pictures is interested in Phenomenon helmer Jon Turteltaub but also states that Stiller would like to reunite with his Meet the Parents director, Jay Roach, and has also mentioned Tom Shadyac (Patch Adams) and Todd Phillips (Road Trip).